Accused in the case of Estonias sinking

Survivors and families of those who lost their lives at the ferry Estonias sinking in the Baltic sea in 1994, hopes that the shipyard that built the ship, and the company, which regulated it, will finally be held to account.

A trial went Friday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where sikkerhedsselskabet Bureau Veritas is a resident.

852 people lost their lives when the ship sank in heavy weather between Tallinn and Stockholm. A briton was among the dead. The later socialist adviser Morten Bend was among the 137 who survived.

However, the expectations of the trial are not large among survivors and descendants.

When I heard about it, I was surprised. I thought that the case had been dropped a long time ago, " says 66-year-old Elisabeth Nilsson, who lost his man for the disaster.

The 155 metre-long 'Estonia' sank off the Finnish coast on the night between 27. and 28. september 1994.

An international investigation concluded in 1997 that the ship's bow door must had gone up during the voyage. Since it was a high lake, flowed water into the car deck. It made the ship unstable in a degree, so it ended up capsizing and sinking.

But neither the German shipyard Meyer-Werft or the French company Bureau Veritas, which had declared the ship sødygtigt, was held responsible for the accident.

Now, almost 25 years later, requires 1116 survivors and descendants of the dead 40,8 million euros (about 305 million) in damages from the two parties.

the Trial in Nanterre, has been held on Friday and is expected to conclude Monday.

- Since the 'Estonia' never been properly investigated, so I have not much hope for this lawsuit either, says Nilsson. She is together with his two sons among the many who have put forward the requirements of.