55°08′N12°02′E / 55.133°N 12.033°E /55.133; 12.033
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| Date | February 11, 2011 (2011-02-11) |
|---|---|
| Time | 11:22 (CET) |
| Duration | 6 hours, 36 minutes |
| Location | Præstø Fjord,Præstø,Denmark |
| Type | Dragon boatcapsizing |
| Cause | Capsize due to wind |
| Organised by | Lundby Efterskole |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 14 |
The 2011 Præstø Fjorddragon boat accident occurred on February 11, 2011, north ofPræstø, Denmark. The incident involved 13 students and two teachers fromLundby Efterskole - a localcontinuation high school. 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 alifejacket, was found over seven weeks later on April 3.[1]
At 11:00 the students sailed out from theharbor of Præstø in their dragon boat to break a record set by other students two days before.[1] 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.[1] Several of the students were foundunconscious in the water and seven were determined to beclinically dead. The thirteen students and one teacher were transported by ambulance or helicopter to six different hospitals onZealand, six were admitted toRigshospitalet. 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.[2]
The seven critical cases had body temperatures in the range 15.5–20.2 °C (59.9–68.4 °F) and were treated withextracorporeal membrane oxygenation, the other survivors hadhypothermia withcore body temperatures as low as 23 °C. Subsequent neurorehabilitation evaluated viaFunctional Independence Measure was good in all but one survivor. Among the critical cases, six suffered mild to moderatecognitive dysfunction and one severe dysfunction.[3]
The management of the school was charged withmanslaughter in the death of the teacher. Atrial 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.[4]
On February 1, 2013, the court inNykøbing Falster ruled that the school would be fined 25 fines of DKK 25,000. Theheadmaster of the school was sentenced to 60 days in prison, suspended. He was also banned from teaching any activities on water for three years[5]
On September 25, 2015, theMedal for Noble Deeds was awarded to four of the students for their deeds at the accident.[6]
On December 3, 2019,BBC Story premiered a documentaryLife after Death: How seven kids came back from the dead, which interviewed all seven survivors.[7]