Victims of MS Estonia disaster to be remembered in Tallinn, Voru, Parnu

  • 2019-09-29
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – Commemorative events are to be held in Tallinn and the cities of Voru and Parnu on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the sinking of the ferry Estonia. 

At the initiative of the Memento Mare association bringing together relatives of the victims of the 1994 disaster, a memorial service will be held at the Broken Line monument at the Great Coastal Gate Hill in Tallinn at noon, followed by a concert at St. John's Church at 5 p.m., spokespeople for the city government said on Friday.

At the memorial service, Deputy Mayor Betina Beskina will lay a wreath on behalf of the City of Tallinn.

In the southeastern county town of Voru, a commemorative event will be held at the monument to the victims. Speeches will be made by Prime Minister Juri Ratas and Mayor of Voru Anti Allas. The ceremony will be followed by a memorial service at St. Catherine's Church and a memorial concert by the early music consort Hortus Musicus at Kandle concert hall, spokespeople for the town government said.

The 852 victims of the sinking of the ferry Estonia include members of a 17-strong delegation of Voru led by Mayor Jaak Ott, who were headed to Sweden for meetings with officials in Voru's sister city Landskrona.

In the southwestern resort city Parnu, Mayor Romek Kosenkranius is scheduled to lay a wreath and light a candle at the monument to the victims of the disaster.

Kosenkranius said that the disaster hit many residents of Parnu very hard.

"Some perished, some escaped, as regards some there's hope in people that they are still alive somewhere. There are still more questions than answers, because the death of people close to you is difficult to accept," the mayor said according to remarks released by spokespeople for the city government.

Fourteen residents of Parnu and Parnu county perished in the disaster. 

The ferry Estonia with 989 people on board sank in a storm while en route from Tallinn to Stockholm on the night of Sept. 28, 1994. Of the people on board the vessel, 137 were saved and 852 died. The bodies of only 95 of the victims were recovered.