Today the international investigation commission handed over the final report on the serious accident with the ferry Estonia to the President of the Republic at Kadriorg.

Present at the ceremony were the chairman of the investigation commission, master mariner Uno Laur, and its members Heino Jaakula, Jaan Metsaveer, Kari Lehtola, Tuomo Karppinen, Heimo Iivonen, Ann-Louise Eksborg, Hans Rosengren, Olle Noord.

“Mr President, the commission has completed its work and compiled a report, which contains verified data and gives answers to questions concerning the shipwreck of the Estonia,” said Sea Captain Uno Laur as he handed the report to the President.

President Meri thanked the commission for the work done and quoted Uno Laur’s assertion that the commission’s report contained the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“The commission’s report is not a verdict. This is why the commission’s report does not contain a single name. I am aware that the public and the relatives of the perished will want to ask thousands of questions. The answers to all those questions have been assembled between these covers here,” said the President as he accepted the report.

Captain Laur also handed a volume of the report to Raivo Vare, Estonian Minister of Transportation and Communications, who attended the ceremony.

The text of the final report on the Estonia accident will be accessible on the Internet at the address http://www.president.ee/report as of December 4.


Information Service of the President’s Office
Kadriorg, 3 December 1997

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