Just after midnight, as the ship was travelling in the Fehmarn Belt, some 8–10 km south of Lolland, an onboard explosion occurred on the car deck, which resulted in a fire that later engulfed the entire ship.
Strax efter midnatt, när fartyget färdades i Fehmarn Bält, några 8-10 km söder om Lolland, inträffade en explosion ombord på bildäck, vilket resulterade i en brand som senare uppslukade hela skeppet.