Four killed, several injured as train collides with army truck in Finland

Rescue, military personnel and police officers gather at the railroad crossing, where several people were killed in a crash between a train and a military truck, wreckage at left, by the track, in southern Finland Thursday Oct. 26, 2017. Finnish media say several people have been killed in a train crash in the southern part of Finland. (Markku Ulander/Lehtikuva via AP)

Four people were killed and several injured when a train crashed into an army truck during a military exercise in southern Finland on Thursday, police and defence forces said. The accident occurred at an unguarded railway crossing near city of Raasepori, 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of the capital Helsinki, when two military vehicles were crossing the tracks on their way to a training site.

The train and one of the vehicles collided, killing three conscripts abroad the truck and a passenger on the train, officials said. Road conditions were bad in the morning due to rain and snowfall. Four people were taken to Helsinki with severe injuries and seven others were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. All patients were said to be in stable condition.

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila and President Sauli Niinisto both offered their condolences to the victims and their families. “The young conscripts were there for their country. That their journey ends in many deaths and in serious injuries is a true tragedy,” President Niinisto said in a statement. Military service is obligatory for men in Finland.