Teenagers killed in Finland bus crash

A bus carrying mostly teenagers crashed into a truck in icy conditions in southern Finland early today, killing 24 and injuring 15 in one of the worst accidents in the country’s history, officials said.

The accident occurred soon after 2am local time (Midnight Irish time) when the truck’s trailer, loaded with heavy paper rolls, swung into the middle of the slippery road and hit the oncoming bus, Senior Constable Jari Tikanoja said.

Around 40 passengers, most of them teenagers, were on the chartered bus travelling to ski resorts in Lapland, northern Finland, he said. Names and ages of the victims were not immediately released.

“Large paper rolls in the truck’s trailer crashed through the windscreen of the bus,” Mr Tikanoja said.

Physicians at a regional hospital said several injured were in critical condition.

“We are treating 14 young patients here. Four are in critical condition,” said Jukka Puolakka, the head physician at the Central Finland Hospital nearby. “Many of them have head injuries and injuries to the upper body.”

The cause of the accident was not immediately established, but the truck driver blamed icy conditions, police said.

“The driver said the icy road had caused the trailer to suddenly start swerving, and he was unable to control it,” Mr Tikanoja said. Roads in Finland froze overnight after a day of mild temperatures nationwide.

A government-appointed commission began an investigation into the accident near Aanekoski, some 190 miles north of Helsinki. It was one of Finland’s most deadly accidents to date.

The Cabinet met in emergency session and recommended that flags be flown at half-mast today to commemorate the victims.