WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A 7-year-old boy who fell overboard a passenger ferry in the Baltic Sea and his mother, who jumped into the water after him, are dead, police said Friday.
Polish police spokesman Mariusz Ciarka told broadcaster TVN24 that it was impossible to save the lives of the two, who were Polish citizens.
The tragedy occurred Thursday when the boy fell into the water and the mother decided to jump after him, Swedish Maritime Administration spokesman Jonas Franzen told The Associated Press. He said that the boy fell from a height of about 20 meters.
Swedish police confirmed that both were dead.
The mother and child were transported separately by helicopter to a hospital in Karlskrona.
Anders Olsson, who was in the rescue helicopter that pulled the woman out of the sea, told Swedish radio on Friday that he was “unresponsive” and first aid was administered.
In a brief statement on Friday, the Swedish public prosecutor’s office said it had launched “a preliminary investigation where the classification of the crime is murder, but there is no suspect in the case.”
“The investigation is aimed at trying to clarify what happened,” said prosecutor Stina Brindmark. No further details were available.
Ships and helicopters from Sweden and NATO units that were in the area collaborated in the rescue operation.
