Divers Explored This Infamous Flooded Prison And Discovered A Dark History Hidden Within Its Wall

What happens to abandoned prisons? Does it have stories to share? This is what the husband and wife team from Latvia are trying to explore. Jekabs and Alina Andrushaitis created a global travel blog where Jekabs shoots videos and Alina writes. Their story won a competition conducted by National Geography Latvia. In 2016, the couple went on to explore a prison in Estonia that is submerged in water. It took them three separate dives to discover the site. The interesting part is that Estonia is bordered by Latvia in the south and in the east, you will find Russia. This Northern European country has a long history with Russia. Believe it or not, in 1940 Estonia was even  invaded and seized by Russians. They then arrested more than 8000 military personnel and politicians. Among them almost 2000 personnel were killed, and the rest served their life in the labor camp. The place that the husband-wife duo explored was known as Rummu, 25 miles away from the Estonian Capital. The remains of the structures include one industrial and one corrective structure that was setup in the 1930s along with the jail area. Human rights were often violated in the jail area under the Soviet Control. Accidental deaths, as well as poor working conditions in the prisons, forced the prisoners to go for hunger strike. In 1989, the Berlin wall came down, ending the Soviet era. Then, flash-forwarding to 2012, the jail was shut down completely. Now the place has turned into a tourist attraction. Not many people know  about the dark history of the site, and they just come here to enjoy their day with family. Even the national tourist board is also encouraging it as a hiking spot and requesting tourists to explore the beauty. Although the place is really beautiful,  swimming might seem to be a dangerous proposition because of the ruins that remain hidden underwater. Jekabs and Alina witnessed the remains of lampposts, concrete slabs, rebar, rusted machinery, razor wire, and much more. These things can be extremely dangerous for the divers who are diving into the ruined building. There have been several accidents, including one death, because people are not aware of what lies underneath the beautiful waters of Rummu. Coming back to the divers, the diving was not a cakewalk for them; rather they have also sustained injury during their excavation. During their second dive, they were unable to see a whole lot. Apart from the remains of the jail complexes, there were several other properties under water. The place was supposed to be converted into Technical Park, but nothing seems to be happening right now.