Latest news with #Eura
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
5 Killed After 2 Helicopters Collide and Crash Near an Airport. Authorities Say the Investigation Could Now Take a Year
Two helicopters collided midair near an airport on May 17, leaving no survivors There were a total of five people on board the helicopters, which were registered outside of Finland and traveling from Estonia The investigation into the collision is ongoing, and it could take up to a year, authorities saidMultiple people are dead after two helicopters collided and crashed near an airport, leaving no survivors. A total of five people died in the incident — which took place in Kauttua, Eura, near the Eura Airport in southwestern Finland — on Saturday, May 17, according to an official news release from Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). According to flight plans, there were two people on board one of the helicopters and three in the other, Finnish police said. Both aircraft were destroyed in the collision and subsequent crash. An emergency call reported the collision to police at around 12:35 p.m. local time, and first responders arrived 'quickly' at the scene of the accident, according to the NBI. All five passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities later revealed in a press conference held on Sunday, May 18, per Estonian Public Broadcasting. The NBI did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, May 18. The crash site, a wooded area, has since been isolated, police said, adding that the helicopters were located a little over 300 feet apart from each other. Both helicopters involved in the crash were civil and registered outside of Finland, police said. They were traveling from Tallinn, Estonia, to Piikajärvi in Kokemäki, according to the NBI. (The Piikajärvi Airport is located about 9.3 miles from the Eura Airport.) Finnish and Estonian authorities are now 'working closely together in response to the accident,' Johannes Siirilä, detective chief inspector of the NBI, said in an official statement. The NBI is also cooperating with the Southwestern Finland Police Department on the investigation, the bureau said. Police are currently investigating the details of the helicopters and the crash itself. The Safety Investigation Authority is also conducting its own investigation at the crash site, per the NBI. The NBI's Robin Lardot said that the investigation is currently focused on the distance maintained between the two aircraft, as well as their altitude at the moment of the fatal May 17 collision, Estonian Public Broadcasting reported. What is left of the two helicopters — which were revealed to be Robinson R-44 models — have been sent to the city of Turku for investigation, according to the Estonia outlet. Autopsies of the five victims will also take place in the Finnish city. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Though Finnish authorities declined to comment on the identities of the deceased, Estonian Public Broadcasting identified three of the crash victims as businessmen Oleg Sõnajalg and couple Priit and Lilit Jaagant. As for the cause of the crash, Tiina Bieber with the Finnish Safety Investigation Authority said investigators cannot say whether it was human error or malfunction, per Estonian Public Broadcasting. Bieber also said that the investigation could take nine months to a year. Read the original article on People
Times of Oman
18-05-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
5 dead after helicopters collide in Finland: police
Kauttua: Five people have died after two helicopters collided mid-air in western Finland, police said on Saturday. Police said the midair collision occurred shortly after noon near the town of Kauttua. The wreckage fell about 700 meters from the Ohikulkutie road. "Five people died in a helicopter accident near Eura Airport on Saturday," Detective Chief Inspector Johannes Siirila said in a statement. Finnish police confirmed that three people were travelling in one of the aircraft and two in the other. The civilian helicopters had taken off from the Estonian capital Tallinn, and were heading towards Piikajarvi Airport in Kokemaki, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Eura airport. Media reports said they were carrying Estonian businessmen. Finnish and Estonian authorities were cooperating closely, a police statement said Police have sealed off the area near the accident as preliminary investigations were underway. Roads leading to Eura airport have been closed. "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 meters apart in a wooded area near Eura airport. It was not immediately clear what caused the collision.
The Sun
17-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Helicopters in Finland crash into each other killing all on board in horror smash as one chopper ‘dropped like a stone'
FIVE people have died after two helicopters crashed into each other in Finland. One of the helicopters reportedly "dropped like a stone" as the choppers spiralled out of control. The two helicopters collided and crashed in a wooded area near Eura airport at around 12pm, according to police. The choppers fell 600ft from the sky. The police said: 'The accident has resulted in several fatalities. "The exact number of victims and the identities of the passengers are still being determined." But the Estonian Ministry of Foreign affairs confirmed to public broadcaster ERR that all five people on board the helicopters had died. .
The Guardian
17-05-2025
- The Guardian
Five people killed in mid-air helicopter collision in Finland
Five people were killed on Saturday when two helicopters collided and crashed in a wooded area near Eura airport in south-western Finland, police said. Police said the mid-air collision occurred shortly after noon near the town of Kauttua, with the wreckage falling 700 metres from the Ohikulkutie road. 'Five people have died in a helicopter accident near Eura airport on Saturday,' Det Ch Insp Johannes Siirilä, of the National Bureau of Investigation, said. Media reported that the helicopters had taken off from Estonia and were carrying business people, with three people in one and two in the other. Finnish newspaper Iltalehti quoted a witness, Antti Marjanen, as saying they saw one of the helicopters hit the other during a manoeuvre. 'One of them dropped like a stone and the other one more slowly. I didn't hear any sound,' Marjanen was quoted as saying. One helicopter was registered in Estonia and the other in Austria, according to an Estonian Public Broadcasting report, citing Finland's Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. Both belonged to Estonian companies. One was 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. The National Bureau of Investigation is leading a joint inquiry with local police, and Finnish and Estonian authorities are cooperating.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- BBC News
Several killed after two helicopters collide in Finland
Several people have died after two helicopters collided mid-air in Finland, local police said. The civilian helicopters crashed near Eura Airport at around 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT), having taken off together from the Estonian capital of have not confirmed the number of fatalities but said there were a total of five people on board both helicopters, two in one and three in the were on their way to an aviation event at the Piikajärvi Flight Center in Kokemäki, according to local media.
