MS Estonia, a cruiseferry operated by Estline, sank on Wednesday, 28 September 1994, between about 00:50 and 01:50 CEST (UTC+2) as the ship was crossing the Baltic Sea, en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden. The vessel was carrying 989 people, including 803 passengers and 186 crew, most of whom were Swedish and Estonian. Only 138 people were rescued, one of whom later died. Most victims succumbed to drowning or hypothermia in water around 10–11 °C (50–52 °F). In total, 852 people died, making the sinking of the MS Estonia one of the deadliest peacetime sinkings of a European ship, after Titanic in 1912 and Empress of Ireland in 1914. It remains the deadliest peacetime shipwreck to have occurred in European waters and was one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century.
The Estonia had been constructed in 1980. On the night of the accident, severe weather was reported in the Baltic Sea. The ship began its voyage behind schedule and was noted to have a slight starboard list from cargo distribution before leaving port. The accident began shortly after 01:00, when noises from the bow were reported.
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