The 2011 Præstø Fjord

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...

accident occurred on February 11, 2011, north of

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,857 (1 January 2022) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of '' Maderne'', ''Storeholm'', and ''Lilleholm'' are part ...

, Denmark. The incident involved 13 students and two teachers from Lundby Efterskole - a local

continuation high school A continuation high school is an alternative to a comprehensive high school. In some countries it is primarily for students who are considered at risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same, but the sch ...

. The boat capsized due to the wind. This incident killed one of the teachers and injured most of the students, leaving several of them in permanent care. The body of the teacher, who was not wearing a

lifejacket A personal flotation device (PFD; also referred to as a life jacket, life preserver, life belt, Mae West, life vest, life saver, cork jacket, buoyancy aid or flotation suit) is a flotation device in the form of a vest or suite that is worn by a ...

, was found over seven weeks later on April 3.Sådan forløb Præstø-ulykken
Ekstra Bladet, January 22, 2013

History by timeline

February 11, 2011

At 11:00 the students sailed out from the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

of Præstø in their dragon boat to break a record set by other students two days before. At 11:22 the boat capsized. Because no one on board had a phone or a radio, the students had to swim ashore to alert the authorities. One student ran the 2.1 km back to Præstø town and placed the first emergency call at 12:42 prompting a large scale rescue mission. Several of the students were found

unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

in the water and seven were determined to be clinically dead. The thirteen students and one teacher were transported by ambulance or helicopter to six different hospitals on

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

, six were admitted to

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''The National'', ''State'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital's main buildi ...

. At 15:34 the boat was located and its surroundings checked. At 17:58 the rescue mission was called off with the other teacher still missing. The seven critical cases had body temperatures in the range and were treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, the other survivors had

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

with

core body temperature Normal human body-temperature (normothermia, euthermia) is the typical temperature range found in humans. The normal human body temperature range is typically stated as . Human body temperature varies. It depends on sex, age, time of day, exert ...

s as low as 23 °C. Subsequent

neurorehabilitation Neurorehabilitation is a complex medical process which aims to aid recovery from a nervous system injury, and to minimize and/or compensate for any functional alterations resulting from it. Features In case of a serious disability, such as caused ...

evaluated via

Functional Independence Measure The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is an assessment tool that aims to evaluate the functional status of patients throughout the rehabilitation process following a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or cancer. Its area of use ...

was good in all but one survivor. Among the critical cases, six suffered mild to moderate

cognitive dysfunction Cognitive disorders (CDs), also known as neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving. Neurocognitive disorders i ...

and one severe dysfunction.

2012

The management of the school was charged with manslaughter in the death of the teacher. A

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

started January 2012. Based on previous trials involving incidents at similar boarding schools, the school risked being fined. During the trial it was revealed that the students felt pressured to participate in risky activities because those who refused were punished. On February 1, 2013, the court in

Nykøbing Falster Nykøbing Falster (; originally named Nykøbing) is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund ''kommune''. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund (''Guld ...

ruled that the school would be fined 25 fines of DKK 25,000. The

headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

of the school was sentenced to 60 days in prison, suspended. He was also banned from teaching any activities on water for three years

2015

On September 25, 2015, the Medal for Noble Deeds was awarded to four of the students for their deeds at the accident.

Popular culture

On December 3, 2019, BBC Story premiered a documentary ''Life after Death: How seven kids came back from the dead'', which interviewed all seven survivors.

References

External links

Life after Death: How seven kids came back from the dead
{{DEFAULTSORT:2011 Praesto Fjord dragon boat accident Maritime incidents in 2011 Maritime incidents in Denmark 2011 in Danish sport Boating accident deaths Accidental deaths in Denmark February 2011 events in Europe