The entire building was evacuated after people inside the store began hearing cracking sounds coming from the roof. Boards from the ceiling also dropped slightly just after 8 a.m.
The entire roof and one exterior wall of the store, belonging to the Halpa-Halli chain, later collapsed completely under the watch of the fire department. The Accident Investigation Board has begun to investigate the incident.
The company's marketing director, Janne Ylinen, said the roofs of all the chain’s stores will be inspected on Saturday.
In a separate incident, about 40 people were evacuated from the sporting centre Hipposhalli in Jyväskylä on Saturday. Officials say the building's roof was not in danger of collapsing. The Rescue Department has already removed excess snow from the rooftop.
Several roofs at businesses and sporting halls have collapsed in the past three years in Finland. Most of them have occurred due to structural flaws, heavy snowfall or strong wind.
The Ministry of Environment says it is concerned about the number of recent roof accidents. According to Director of Development Helena Säteri, structural and material defects are to blame for the accidents. In theory, buildings are designed to withstand heavy snowfalls. YLE24, YLE Radio News, Radio Central Ostrobothnia, Finnish News Agency