Estonia, EU – Baltic States, History, Legislation, Technology, Transport

"It cannot be ruled out that the damage plays a role in the course of the sinking," Jorgen Amdahl, professor at the Department of Marine Technology of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said in the new documentary series that aired on Monday on Discovery's streaming platforms in the Nordic countries.

The documentary series, titled "Estonia -- A Find That Changes Everything", was produced by the production company Monster on behalf of Discovery Norway. The director is Henrik Evertsson.

The Estonia ferry left the port of Tallinn on the evening of September 27, 1994, and set off for Stockholm, where it was scheduled to arrive the next morning. There were 803 passengers and 186 crew members on board.

Upon reaching the high seas, the ship was hit by waves of several meters in height, and about halfway to Stockholm, near the Finnish island of Uto, Estonia listed and sank quickly.

Altogether 137 of the people on board in Estonia were rescued and 852 people lost their lives, most of whom were trapped in the ship and sank with it. Of the fatalities, 501 were Swedish citizens and 285 Estonian citizens, with citizens from a total of 17 countries on board the vessel.

According to the final report of the Joint Accident Investigation Commission (JAIC) launched by Estonia, Finland and Sweden, the disaster was caused by severe weather, which tore off the ship's bow visor and the associated ramp, after which water flooded the car deck.