Efforts to prevent the drowning deaths of three teenagers in the sea off Kalajoki, in the west of Finland, were affected by a slow response to initial reports of the incident.
That's according to a preliminary report into the tragedy, carried out by the North Ostrobothnia Rescue Service, which also found that the rescue operation was further hampered by the limited resources available to the local services.
The three boys — who were aged between 15 and 17 — were playing with a ball about 100 metres from the shore on the evening of Friday 25 July when they got into trouble and began calling for help.
Authorities in the area were first notified at 6:52pm, and the first of four initial units arrived about 15 minutes later. The first responders included two divers as well as other rescue personnel, but they had limited resources at their disposal and had to initially rely on a civilian boat for assistance.
The report noted that this response was not sufficient given the circumstances and seriousness of the situation, and it is unlikely any of the three lives would have been saved given the time and scale of the operation.
Emergency personnel found the bodies of two of the boys on Friday evening, located approximately 200-250 metres from the shore in about 2.5 metres of water. The third teenager was found the next day, at about 11pm. The diving crews told investigators that poor visibility in the waters off Kalajoki significantly impacted their efforts.
The report concluded that drones could be used in the future to assist rescue operations.
Police in Oulu said last week that they do not suspect any crime has been committed in relation to the incident.
