5 killed after 2 helicopters collide
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.
Authorities found the wreckage of the helicopters in a wooded area. Police say there were two people in one helicopter and three in the other.
They were on their way to an aviation event at the Piikajärvi Flight Centre in Kokemäki, local media reported.
“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.
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.
“Several rescue units and police patrols” were at the scene, said police, who were alerted to the crash at 12:35 p.m. local time (10:35 a.m. GMT)
The two helicopters involved in the collision were found approximately 100 metres apart in a wooded area near Eura airport.
One helicopter was registered in Estonia and the other in Austria, according to the 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.
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.
The helicopters collided near Eura Airport in southwestern Finland on Saturday, police said. The aircraft were foreign-registered civilian helicopters. The crash is being investigated by police.
Finnish and Estonian officials said they were working with each other on the probe.
