A woman was rescued from the cold waters of Mälaren near Ekerö after a small boat sank, but a man likely on board remains missing. Fishermen discovered the accident by chance and alerted rescue services. The search ended that evening without success, and police have now taken over as a missing person case.
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, a boat accident occurred in Mälaren outside Ekerö, west of Stockholm. A small plastic boat, about 5–7 meters long, sank in the area near Rastaholm in Ekerö municipality. The incident was discovered around 3 PM by three fishermen – Pär Sjöholm, Håkan Berg, and Magnus Lundin – who were heading home after a guided fishing trip.
Sjöholm spotted a floating paddle in the water and called to the guide: "Wait now, I saw something strange." They approached and saw the boat's bow protruding above the surface, along with scattered items including a life jacket. About 500–1000 meters away, they spotted a glowing green life jacket in the darkness. "We thought it was empty for a long time until we were maybe ten meters away. Then we saw it was a person in it," Sjöholm recounted.
Sjöholm and a friend jumped into the water, which was 9 degrees Celsius – warmer than the usual 3 degrees – and pulled out the severely hypothermic woman. They dressed her in a flotation suit and brought her to shore, then alerted sea rescue. The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance helicopter, and police have spoken to her. Her condition is unknown.
Signs indicate another person, suspected to be a man, was on board. A major search operation began involving the Coast Guard, Swedish Sea Rescue Society, Maritime Authority, police, rescue services, divers, and helicopters. "The search is still ongoing. We have reason to suspect another person was on board," said Björn Alverfeldt, spokesperson for the Maritime Authority's Sea and Air Rescue Center.
Weather conditions were difficult with heavy rain and darkness. "Not optimal conditions," Alverfeldt noted, but the effort continued into the evening. The search concluded around 6:30–8 PM without locating the missing person. "The area is well searched, but without result," said Daniel Åström from the Sea and Air Rescue Center.
Police have filed a missing person report and suspect no crime. "We suspect no crime, it's a pure accident," said spokesperson Carina Skagerlind. "We will continue to search." The boat is to be salvaged, and the fishermen are proud of their actions despite being shaken.
