A small passenger aircraft carrying 10 parachutists crashed in Finland’s southwestern Satakunta region on Sunday, killing eight.
Police said the plane had 11 people on board, including the pilot, when the accident occurred at around 3.30pm local time near Jämijärvi Airport, which is used by parachuting clubs. Two of the parachutists and the pilot survived by jumping from the plane before it hit the ground, but the bodies of eight others were found near the wreckage.
The survivors were transported to hospital in Tampere, around 80kms away, for treatment. However, none of them had sustained serious injuries, according to a doctor at the crash scene.
Finland’s southwest police department chief inspector Petri Kangas said the plane experienced some kind of problem that made it break into pieces at an altitude of between three and four kilometres. At the time of speaking he was unable to say what the exact cause had been.
The accident is one of the deadliest plane crashes Finland has ever suffered. Accident Investigation Board of Finland researcher Ismo Aaltonen said it was the worst air disaster the Nordic country has seen in several decades.
The relatives of the victims travelled to the airport to identify the bodies, but refused to speak to reporters.