160,000 without electricity in Finland – plane blown off runway
Updated 21.57 | Published 16.35
Two planes with a total of over 150 people on board have been blown off a runway and into a snowdrift in Kittilä in Finnish Lapland, media in Finland report.
On Saturday evening, more than 160,000 households were without electricity in the winter storm.
The alarm about a potentially major plane crash came at 16:00 local time on Saturday afternoon. Nine rescue units were called to the scene, reports the newspaper Lapin Kansa.
According to the rescue services, a passenger plane with about 150 people on board, as well as a smaller plane with fewer than ten people, skidded sideways off the runway in the strong wind and into the snowbank.
The skids occurred at low speed and no one was reported injured.
All air traffic to Kittilä, Rovaniemi and Ivalo in Lapland was temporarily stopped during the evening, and many tourists were stranded.
The winter storm, which in Finland has been named Hannes and measured at 25 meters per second along the west coast, has left thousands of households without power. At 10:30 p.m. local time, more than 160,000 households were without electricity, according to the Energy Industry Association. Large parts of western Finland are affected.
The number of power outages increased rapidly as the storm worsened during the evening.
On Åland, at most, around 8,000 households were without power.
In Tampere, an inflatable sports hall has collapsed. No one was injured as the hall was empty, reports Yle.
Rescue services have been busy in western and northern Finland due to fallen trees and blown-off roofs. The weather has caused traffic accidents, but no serious injuries have been reported.
Northern Norway has also been hit by strong winds. Trees have fallen on houses and cars, and roads have been closed, reports NTB.
