A 7-year-old boy fell overboard from a passenger ferry in the Baltic Sea on June 29, and his mother jumped into the sea to save him, sadly dying in the process as well, according to Swedish Maritime Administration representative Jonas Franzen. The child reportedly fell from a height of 20 meters, or about 65 feet. The Swedish passenger ferry the Stena Spirit was making a journey from Sweden to Poland and had 310 passengers aboard, according to the New York Post.
The mother and child were recovered nearly an hour after going overboard and were taken by helicopter to a hospital but were nonresponsive after resuscitation attempts and confirmed dead by Polish police.
More from CafeMom: Shocking Video Shows 6-Year-Old Boy Fall 40 Feet Off Amusement Park Zipline
The crew responded quickly when they found out two people had gone into the sea from the ferry.
A Polish police representative, Mariusz Ciarka, shared that both the mother and her son were Polish citizens and that Swedish police confirmed their deaths on June 30, a day after the incident occurred, accordinng to Today.
A representative for the Stena Line, Stefan Elfstrom, explained that the crew and staff responded swiftly once the alarm went off for a man overboard incident, per the New York Post. “Items have been found that belong to these people, but not the people themselves. Then the alarm went off, the crew looked at the surveillance cameras and saw that two people had fallen into the water,” he said, the news outlet reported.
The 7-year-old boy and his mother were airlifted to a hospital in Karlskrona, Sweden, after being recovered from the water by helicopter, per Today. A woman on the rescue helicopter, Anders Olsson, helped rescue the mother from the ocean and said she was “not responsive” after receiving first aid.
The Swedish ferry line is under investigation.
Swedish officials have noted an investigation has been launched to determine what happened, though there are not any suspects. “The investigation aims to try to clarify what happened,” noted Swedish Prosecutor Stina Brindmark said, per Today. The Stena Line is reportedly cooperating with authorities to determine if a malfunction could have occurred, the Post reported.
As Agnieszka Zembrzycka, a Stena Line representative, shared, “At the moment we have no information whether this was due to a malfunction of the ferry. We are cooperating with the police and other authorities that are appointed to explain the causes and circumstances of this event.”
Only a small percentage of people involved in 'man overboard’ incidents survive.
According to High Seas Cruising, 20 to 25 people fall overboard every year, and the most common ways this happens are accidental falls, intentional suicide, and reckless behavior, often while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Estimates point out that it can take a cruise ship more than a mile to be able to stop and turn around, and this may be one of several factors that contribute to 75% of man overboard related accidents ending fatally, the site noted.
More from CafeMom: 8-Year-Old Boy Fighting for His Life After Being Badly Injured on Family Cruise Excursion
Readers were shocked and wondered if foul play was involved.
Some readers of the Post article covering the story have suggested maybe the incident was a “murder-suicide,” and others have pointed out that more people seem to be falling from cruise ships and ferries than ever before.
One reader commented, “I've heard it was a possible murder suicide.”
“This is happening way too many times, people falling off ocean liners and ferries, for it to be an accident or a coincidence. Are they all deliberate suicide attempts? Not sure," another person wrote. "The various marine companies need to post more warnings like the LIRR does now "Life is worth living" stuff to discourage mentally unbalanced people from thinking about ending their life on the ship.”
Others pointed out that the rescue seemed to take too long.
“Never been on one but I feel something could have been done by the crew with a rescue boat or something before waiting for a helicopter,” one person commented.
“The kid was more than likely playing and in a split second tragedy struck. The mother did exactly what any other mother would have done," someone else chimed in. "I pray for the loved ones left behind, especially any other children she may have had.”
