Five people died in Saturday's helicopter crash in Eura, southwest Finland, according to Detective Chief Inspector Johannes Siirilä of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Two helicopters collided and crashed in Eura, shortly after midday on Saturday. According to investigators, it remains unclear whether the accident was the result of a technical failure, human error, or a combination of both.
The helicopters were flying from Tallinn, Estonia, to Piikajärvi Airfield in Kokemäki at the time of the accident. Estonian news outlet Postimees reported that the passengers were Estonian businessmen.
Prior to the NBI's statement, Estonian public broadcaster ERR had reported that the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that all individuals on board the helicopters had perished.
Police said a total of five people were on board the two helicopters, two in one and three in the other. The identities of the pilots are known to authorities, but those of the passengers are still being verified. Rescue workers located the helicopters in a forested area, approximately 100 metres apart from each other.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is leading the preliminary investigation.
"We want to first confirm exactly what happened. The situation is constantly evolving," said on-duty fire chief Tuomas Kiskola.
According to Ari Pullinen, chairman of the Pori Aviation Club, the individuals aboard the helicopters were headed to the Piikajärvi Airfield for a hobby event.
The event was intended to be a day-long gathering, set to conclude on Sunday. Organisers expected around 20 aircraft and approximately 50 participants.
"Dropped like a stone"
An eyewitness who alerted rescue services said he saw the two helicopters flying close to one another.
"Suddenly, one of the helicopters made a quick movement and, just like that, collided with the other. Shortly afterwards, there was a terrible crash. One of the helicopters dropped like a stone, while the other spiralled down. After that, I didn't see or hear anything. There was no smoke," said Antti Marjanen, who was doing yardwork when he witnessed the crash.
Flight tracking site Flightradar24 indicated that two helicopters departing from Tallinn were flying near Eura Airfield at the time of the accident. Shortly thereafter, both aircraft abruptly stopped transmitting their location data.
One of these helicopters is registered in Estonia and the other in Austria. There is, however, no confirmation that these are the same helicopters involved in the accident.
The local rescue department was alerted to an air traffic accident on a road near Eura Airfield shortly after 12.30pm.
