Today we know that Estonia did indeed go down within a few minutes. A large gate below the water-line had opened, and the ship had swallowed the ocean. Then there was silence, and Estonia disappeared from all radar screens. The passengers who went down with Estonia have not been seen since. There does not yet seem to be any final decision about what to do with their remains.
Many relatives consider the sea to be the final resting place for their lost ones.
Others want to retrieve the remains to bury them on land. This has created some serious conflicts. Recently a man in a diving suit went down to the wreckage to look for his wife. In doing so he awoke the anger of hundreds of people who felt that he had disturbed the peace of a grave yard. The diver did not break any laws.