Five people have died following a mid-air collision between two helicopters near Eura Airport in southwestern Finland, police said.
The crash happened shortly after noon near the town of Kauttua, with the wreckage falling in a wooded area some 700 metres from the Ohikulkutie road.
“Five people have died in a helicopter accident near Eura Airport on Saturday,” Detective Chief Inspector Johannes Siirila of the National Bureau of Investigation said.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Two people were on board one helicopter and three on the other, according to flight plans, police said, adding that both
helicopters were registered outside Finland.
One helicopter was registered in Estonia and the other in Austria, according to an Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR)
report, citing Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat newspaper.
Both belonged to Estonian companies, with one owned by NOBE and the other by Eleon, the report added.
Read more from Sky News:
Crystal Palace celebrate historic FA Cup win
‘Mass casualty event’ declared as tornadoes hit parts of US
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The helicopters were reportedly en route to a hobby aviation event, according to the Pori Aviation Club, Yle News reported.
The National Bureau of Investigation is leading a joint probe with local police, and Finnish and Estonian authorities are cooperating.
