The alarm was raised at 10:36am. About half an hour later a rescue helicopter from Visby caught sight of the group’s life-raft. All nine were winched into the helicopter unharmed. They landed in Valdemarsvik at 11:30am.
Police said that all nine sailors were Polish citizens. One of them had sent an SMS from the life-raft to the boat’s owner in Poland. He then contacted the coastguard in the Polish port of Gydnia.
It is so far unclear why the boat sank. Police were questioning the crew on Monday afternoon.
