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Driver and child killed in head-on crash near Lapland resort

Police in Finnish Lapland say that a Russian-registered car was passing a truck when it collided with another lorry.

Toinen Kakslauttasen onnettomuudessa mukana olleista rekoista kuljetti postia.
One of the trucks involved in the collision was owned by the postal service. Image: Kaija Länsman / Yle
  • Yle News

Two people were killed and three others injured – two of them seriously – when a Russian car crashed into a postal lorry in Sodankylä on Monday morning.

Story continues after map.

Kakslauttanen kartalla.
The accident occurred near the Kakslauttanen holiday centre. Image: Yle Uutisgrafiikka

Police say that the two who died were the male driver of the car and a three-year-old child who was in the back seat. Both were foreign citizens.

Three other people in the Russian vehicle were injured, two of them seriously.

The Russian car was heading north when it struck a Posti truck head-on while attempting to pass another lorry, according to police.

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Sodankylän Kakslauttasen liikenneonnettomuus sulki Nelostien maanantaina kerryttäen vajaan parin kilometrin autojonon.
Cars were backed up for some 1.5km after the accident. Image: Kaija Länsman / Yle

At least some of the injured were taken to Oulu University Hospital, some 450 km to the south.

The accident took place on the Ivalo road (Route 4) in north-eastern Finland, south of the Kakslauttanen resort, a popular tourist destination.

Police say that the accident took place on a straight stretch of road with good visibility and normal winter driving conditions.

Route 4 was closed until around 2pm, backing up traffic for about one-and-a-half kilometers. Two statements about the crash on the police website stated that the accident occurred at 13.30 (1.30pm). However local papers began reporting on the crash before 11am.

Edited at 4:17 pm to reflect that three people were injured in the accident.