At least 11 people died during Finland’s Midsummer weekend by Saturday morning, as police reported suspected homicides, drownings, a fatal fire, a road death and a balcony fall.
Police forces across the country also dealt with hundreds of callouts linked to violence, drink-driving, boating offences and domestic disturbances.
The deaths were recorded between Thursday and Saturday during one of Finland’s busiest holiday periods.
In Vantaa, a man aged about 30 died on Friday night after falling through balcony glazing at an apartment block on Tikkurilantie in Tikkurila. Emergency services received the call after 9pm. The man fell from the fifth floor to the ground and died despite resuscitation attempts.
Eastern Uusimaa police said they were examining the course of events. At this stage, police do not suspect a crime.
In Varkaus, police opened a homicide inquiry after a person died in a private house on Friday evening. Another suspected killing took place in central Vaasa.
Police in Somero are also investigating a homicide reported on Thursday. The victim, a man aged about 40, was found dead in a private flat.
In Pieksämäki, a man died after violence broke out in a group on Thursday evening. Police said one person had a bladed weapon and used it to wound the victim.
Water claimed several lives. In Mikkeli, four people were thrown into the water when a rowing boat capsized on Louhijärvi early on Friday. Three reached the shore of an island. Rescue divers later found one man dead near the boat. Police said none of the people in the boat had life jackets.
In Helsinki, a woman aged about 70 was found dead in shallow water off Lauttasaari on Friday afternoon. Police said she had gone swimming. Police said no crime is suspected and the case will proceed as an investigation into the cause of death.
A further drowning was reported in Kotka on Thursday after a boating accident left two people in the water. One person was rescued and taken to hospital. The other person drowned.
A fatal fire in Kuopio added to the toll on Friday. Police said a man and a woman were inside a detached house near Vehmersalmi when the fire started at about 1pm. Both got out into the yard, but the woman went back inside to fight the fire and became trapped. She died in the burning house. Police and rescue officials are investigating the cause of the fire. Initial information gave no reason to suspect a crime.
In Merikarvia, one person died and another was seriously injured when a car left Vaasantie before 6am on Friday. South-West Finland police said the car appeared to have crossed the oncoming lane before leaving the road. Police registered the case as aggravated endangering of traffic safety and causing death.
Police also reported serious injuries in Mäntyharju, where two young people were trapped under a tractor after it left the road on Thursday night. Both were taken to hospital. Police suspect the young driver of endangering traffic safety and causing injury.
The holiday also brought large numbers of police tasks.
Eastern Finland police said they handled more than 300 assignments during the night shift on Midsummer Eve alone. The force said alcohol played a role in many calls. Officers recorded about 20 assault reports, detained ten suspected drink-drivers and said six of them exceeded the aggravated drink-driving threshold.
Eastern Finland police also recorded four aggravated traffic safety offences linked to speeding. In Savonlinna, police stopped a driver travelling at 134 kilometres per hour in a 60 zone. In Joensuu, police recorded speeds of 120 in an 80 zone and 159 in a 100 zone. In Mikkeli, a driver was recorded at 134 in an 80 zone early on Saturday.
On the water, Eastern Finland police recorded three suspected boating while intoxicated cases and issued fines for missing life jackets.
South-West Finland police said the night between Friday and Saturday was “extremely busy”. Officers received 53 reports of assaults of different degrees and 43 reports linked to suspected drink-driving or boating while intoxicated. Police also dealt with about 110 domestic callouts or disturbances at private places.
Ostrobothnia police recorded 251 tasks on Midsummer Eve. Twenty-one people lost their liberty, about half of them because of intoxication or disorder. Four suspected drink-drivers were caught during the night, two of them in aggravated cases. In three cases, the suspect was under 18.
HT