Baltic island nearly cut off from water due to suspected sabotage

STOCKHOLM: Swedish police said on Monday they were investigating the suspected sabotage of a water pump on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea after the pump was cut off from power on Sunday.

The water and sewage unit for Gotland’s municipality received a fault alarm for a water pump on Sunday at 1830 GMT, police said.

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The possible sabotage could have left the entire island without water had it not been discovered, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources.

“Technicians went to the site and found that someone had opened an electrical cabinet, pulled out a cable and thereby cut the power to the pump,” police said in an emailed statement.

The pump is working again, they said, adding that they had not detained anyone in the case.

THE THREAT TO GOTLAND’S WATER SUPPLY

Aftonbladet cited the region’s head of water and sewage services, Susanne Bjergegaard-Pettersson, as saying saboteurs had caused a pump stoppage at a lake that supplies “large parts of Gotland.”

“We are aware of an incident that was reported yesterday but it is being handled by police,” a Swedish Security Service spokesperson told Reuters.

A police spokesperson declined to comment.

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Officials who examined the damage on Sunday said there was evidence of “human influence.” Patrik Johansson of the region’s water and sewage services said it was “not an accidental act,” and that someone had “turned the pump off and pulled out a cable.”

In early February, Swedish investigators concluded that damage to an undersea cable east of Gotland was not a result of intentional sabotage and released a suspected ship.