As of Saturday morning some nine people had lost their lives in accidents over the Midsummer weekend. Six people drowned and three lost their lives in road traffic accidents.
On Midsummer Eve an 8-year-old child and a middle-aged man died in a motor boat accident. In Saarijärvi in Central Finland a middle aged man died after leaving for a fishing expedition, and in Hollola, Häme, an elderly man died after he went swimming.
Two more elderly men drowned in Puumala, South Savo and Outokumpu, North Karelia.
Two people died in separate traffic accidents on Thursday—one in Humppila, one in Hollola. In Hämeenlinna a 16-year-old died and a 15-year-old passenger was seriously injured when a moped crashed.
Midsummer is traditionally spent at cottages in the countryside in Finland, with access to lakes rivers and the sea often combining with alcohol to produce a spike in drowning cases.