Cessna crash in the Baltic Sea: emergency services: no more hope for survivors

BIn the mysterious crash of a plane in the Baltic Sea, according to the Latvian authorities, all occupants of the crashed machine died. “It is now clear that there is no hope of finding any survivors. Because yesterday’s finds show that the crash was particularly violent,” said the head of the Latvian Sea Rescue Coordination Center, Peteris Subbota, on Tuesday evening on Latvian television. “The speed at the time of impact was very high and the plane broke into many small pieces.” This is the first conclusion that can be drawn about the moment of impact.

The private plane flew over the Baltic Sea on Sunday on its way from Spain to Cologne. There it crashed into the sea in the evening off the coast west of the Latvian port of Ventspils. Communication with the Cessna 551 with four people on board had been interrupted for a long time before the accident. The identity of the passengers has not yet been officially confirmed. The systems engineering company Griesemann from Wesseling near Cologne had announced that the four missing persons were the company founder Peter Griesemann, two family members and one other person.

Also human remains near the crash site

During their search at sea, the rescue workers initially recovered several wreckage parts and debris from the crashed machine from the sea. Human body parts were also found near the crash site before nightfall on Monday evening. The remains were handed over to the criminal police for examination and further investigation. Many questions about the accident and its cause remained unanswered.

With the help of special equipment, the search continued under water on Tuesday. “An autonomous robot that scans the sea floor along a pre-programmed route was used. And when he returns to the ship, the information will be analyzed,” Subbota said. The goal is to get as many clues as possible. It is unclear how often the robot has to dive into the Baltic Sea, which is about 60 meters deep at this point.

The crash site is about 35 kilometers off the Latvian coast in neutral waters. According to the Latvian accident investigation authority, it is not yet clear which country will carry out the investigation into the accident. Agency head Anita Skinuma said on Latvian television that she was in talks with colleagues in Germany and Austria.