Finnish authorities estimate that at least 11 people lost their lives over the holiday weekend as a result of accidents, violence or drowning.
Finland’s police and emergency services were kept busier than usual over the Midsummer weekend, with authorities called out to deal with a number of public order incidents, car crashes and drownings across the country.
Although the holiday is traditionally associated with people retiring en masse to summer cottages for a weekend of rest and relaxation, the Midsummer festivities are often overshadowed by a grim tally of deaths and injuries.
This year, authorities estimate that at least 11 people lost their lives over the holiday weekend as a result of accidents, violence or drowning.
Man dies in Vantaa balcony fall
A man died in Vantaa on Friday evening after falling from a fifth-floor balcony of an apartment building in the central Tikkurila district of the city.
The man, believed to be in his early 30s, fell through the balcony’s glazing. While an investigation is ongoing, police say they have no reason to suspect any crime has taken place.
The building’s residents were instructed to refrain from using their balconies while the probe continues.
Four drowning deaths
The first report of a drowning incident came early on Friday, Midsummer Eve, when a boat capsized on a lake near the city of Mikkeli. Three people managed to reach the shore, but the body of one man was later recovered by divers. According to police, none of the four people on the boat were wearing life jackets.
Later in the day on Friday, an elderly woman was found dead in shallow water near Lauttasaari, an island district of Helsinki. Police believe she had been swimming in the sea and do not suspect any crime.
On Saturday, Midsummer’s Day, a young adult male was presumed drowned after going missing in waters near Tahkolahti beach in Kuopio. A search by local emergency services that lasted several hours failed to find his body.
A fourth drowning death for the Midsummer weekend was reported on Sunday, when a man sank under the water near the city of Salo while playing with a child. Bystanders at the scene, including an off-duty fire fighter, pulled the man from the water but attempts to resuscitate him failed.
The man is understood to be of foreign background.
Two deaths in violent incidents
Police also dealt with a number of violent incidents across the country over the Midsummer weekend, with at least two deaths reported.
Police in Vaasa detained a suspect in relation to a violent incident in the city on Friday. There has been very little information from police, due to the ongoing investigation, but Yle understands that one person died and the suspect may face charges of manslaughter as well as attempted manslaughter.
A separate investigation is also under way in Varkaus, after a victim died in violent circumstances at a house on Friday. Two people are currently being detained in relation to the incident.
In Nokia, a woman in her 50s is suspected of attempted manslaughter after allegedly striking a man in the head with an axe at a private residence. Police were called to the scene at about 3pm on Saturday, and the investigation is still ongoing. The man was taken to hospital, where his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Accidents and emergencies
There were at least four other deaths registered over the Midsummer weekend as a result of accidents, including when one person died and another was seriously injured after their car skidded off the road near Merikarvia on Finland’s west coast.
In Mäntyharju, two young people were seriously injured on Thursday evening when the tractor they were driving left the road and overturned. According to police, the two became trapped under the overturned tractor.
In a separate incident, a woman died following a house fire in Kuopio on Friday. Police believe the woman initially left the building, but went back inside to try to extinguish the flames and became trapped.
