Murder Inquiry Launched After Polish Woman and Son, 7, Die After Falling From Ferry in Baltic Sea

A murder inquiry has been launched by Swedish authorities after a mother and her 7-year-old son died after falling from a ferry in the Baltic Sea, according to reports.

The mother and her child were on board the ferry from Sweden to Poland when SKY reported she dove overboard in a desperate attempt to save her boy after he fell off the vessel into the Baltic Sea on Thursday.

Police confirmed the news in a press release obtained by CBS News which said, “The two people who fell from a ferry travelling to Karlskrona yesterday have died. They are a Polish woman born in 1985 and a Polish boy born in 2016.”

Police said next of kin have been notified, according to CBS News.

Swedish Maritime Administration spokesperson Jonas Franzen told The Associated Press the child fell from a height of about 65 feet.

Sweden's Prosecution Authority said a murder investigation has been launched although there was "no suspect in the case.”

"The purpose of the investigation is to try to clarify what happened," public prosecutor Stina Brindmark said, according to CBS News.

The unnamed victims are both dead and it is unclear how the child fell into the water, but the goal of the investigation is to learn what exactly happened, People reported.

Ships and helicopters from Sweden and from NATO units that were in the area assisted in the rescue operation, CBS News reported.

The mother and child were found about an hour after they fell and were transferred to a hospital in Karlskrona, Sweden, CBS News reported.

The ferry was operated by Stena Line and a spokesperson gave a statement to Insider following the incident.

"We are working with both Swedish and Polish authorities where two separate investigations have been initiated, and also Danish authorities as the ferry is registered in Denmark," a Stena Line spokesperson told Insider.

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