There were no survivors, Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, the local ERR News reported.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Satakunta Rescue Department received a report from a road near Eura Airfield that two helicopters had collided midair and crashed to the ground, reported Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat (link in Finnish) and public broadcaster Yle.
According to police, a total of five people were on board the two four-seater Robinson R44 Raven light helicopters at the time of the collision — two in one and three in the other.
Based on unconfirmed reports, there were no survivors in the collision, Margus Särglepp, director of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Assistance Unit, said at a press conference Saturday evening. Finnish police are working to identify the victims.
Several media outlets in Estonia are reporting that among them were Estonian businessmen Oleg Sõnajalg and Priit Jagant. The names of the other passengers have not yet been published.
The helicopters were en route from Tallinn to Piikajärvi Airfield in Kokemäki at the time of the collision.
Rescuers located the downed helicopters in a forested area, approximately 100 meters apart. Finnish authorities initially declined to provide any information regarding possible casualties.
MNA
