Tourists from Singapore injured in Finland bus crash that kills 2

A bus in Rovaniemi, Finland carrying 29 tourists from Singapore tour group Chan Brothers was involved in an accident on Thursday (Dec 19).

The incident occurred at around 1pm local time (7pm Singapore time) when the tour bus collided head-on with a minibus, reported Lianhe Zaobao on Dec 19.

A total of 37 people, mainly from Singapore and China, were taken to the hospital, said the Finnish police. 

Out of the 37, 31 needed further medical assessment. 

Two people — the minibus driver and a passenger — died at the scene. 

Several of the tourists from Singapore, who had begun their tour on December 11, sustained minor injuries. After being examined at the hospital, they were discharged and continued with the final two days of their tour, reported Zaobao.

The Chan Brothers tour group were on a 13-day, 10-night Lapland Northern Lights and Lofoten Islands tour.

The tour group members had been wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

According to footage released by Finnish media, the front of the tour bus was severely damaged and the windshield was broken. On the other hand, the minibus was mangled. 

Finnish police said they are in contact with the embassies of the countries concerned. 

The minivan driver is suspected of traffic violations, negligent homicide and negligent injury at this stage of the investigation, reported AFP. 

Although the cause of the accident has not been determined, police reported poor driving conditions due to snow on the road and ongoing snowfall.

AsiaOne has reached out to Chan Brothers for more details. 

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