Finnish sailors rescued near Russian border in Gulf of Finland

Two Finnish sailors were rescued in the Gulf of Finland after drifting into Estonian waters near the Russian border without proper navigation equipment, Yle reports.

The Finnish Border Guard received an emergency call around 6:30 pm Saturday. One of the sailors had contacted their sister, who alerted emergency services. The sailors had departed from Helsinki on Friday morning, heading for Hanko, but their engine failed.

Though they managed to restart the engine, they lost their way and were unable to determine their location. Authorities located the vessel on the Vainupea Flat in Estonian waters, drifting east toward Russian territory.

Contact was initially established via text message due to poor voice connection. The sailors were instructed to turn west to avoid entering Russian waters. Later, voice contact was restored, revealing the boat lacked even a compass.

The rescue involved units from the Finnish Border Guard, volunteer sea rescuers from Helsinki, and coordination with Tallinn and St. Petersburg rescue centers. The operation concluded around 8 am Sunday when the exhausted but unharmed sailors were brought ashore.