3 soldiers among the dead as train hits military truck, officials say
3 soldiers among the dead as train hits military truck, officials say:- A train collided with a military vehicle at a railroad crossing in southern Finland early Thursday, killing at least four people, police and military officials said.
The crash near Raseborg, about 53 miles southwest of Helsinki, also left several people injured.
Police said four people were killed, including one train passenger. A Finnish general said three soldiers died.
“Today I have received a heartbreaking message: Three conscripts have died in an accident in Raseborg,” Gen. Jarmo Lindberg said in a statement.
The FNB news agency said eight other people injured in the crash were taken to hospitals in Raseborg and Helsinki.
Finland’s defense minister, Jussi Niinisto, tweeted that Thursday “had started with grim news” and “I feel grief.”
The military truck was carrying 11 soldiers who were taking part in a drill in the southern part of the Nordic country. The train struck the vehicle at a crossing with no security features near Raseborg by a commuter train from Finland’s state-owned VR railway company, officials said.
Images from the scene showed a slightly damaged train and the wreck of what appears to be a military vehicle in the woods. The train was standing upright, but it wasn’t immediately clear if it had derailed.
Finnish broadcaster YLE said Niinisto, the defense minister, had ordered flags at all military facilities to fly at half-staff Thursday.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto expressed his condolences in a statement, calling it an “unfortunate tragedy,” saying the conscripts were taking part in “a task for the motherland.”
Military service is mandatory for men in Finland, the Reuters news agency points out.
Source:-Â https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-soldiers-among-dead-train-hits-military-truck-officials-say/
