4 dead in Finland after train hits military truck

Oct. 26 (UPI) -- At least four people were killed Thursday after a train collided with a military truck in Finland, authorities said.

Three soldiers and one train passenger died in the crash, and 11 more were injured.

"Today I have received a heartbreaking message: three conscripts have died in an accident in Raseborg," Gen. Jarmo Lindberg, chief of Finland's armed forces, said.

Although the cause of the crash is unclear, a local police chief said the the crossing was "unguarded" and that the weather was bad due to snowfall.

Authorities say the crash occurred at a place where the train intersects with a road.

The military truck, a Finnish Sisu SA-150, was transporting eight soldiers of the Nyland Brigade who were participating in a drill. The train is from Finland's state-owned railway company.

Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö said relief aid is being offered and flags at military facilities will be lowered to half-mast.

The train route was shut down after the crash.