Five German tourists built a sauna on ice in Sweden, but lost control when a passing ferry created a wave.
The Incident
The Guardian reports that five tourists from Germany placed a sauna tent and an engine on a piece of ice. They thereby tried to create a “motor-driven floating sauna.”
However, a wave caused by a passing ferry made them lose control of their vessel as the ice began to break up. The tourists became stranded in the vicinity of Värmdö, the largest island of the Stockholm Archipelago.
Witness Account
“The ice couldn’t withstand the pressure and broke into several pieces,” a witness told SVT.se.
Rescue and Commentary
The tourists were rescued by the ferry crew. “In Stockholm, as well as throughout Sweden, it’s mainly skaters for various reasons who need help at sea or fall through the ice. It was really a spectacular sight,” commented Karolina Wichman, spokeswoman for Stockholm’s transport authority, in an interview with “The Guardian.”
