Safety investigation focuses on service safety and on preparedness for mass casualty incidents in Northern Finland

The Safety In­ves­ti­ga­tion Au­thor­ity, Fin­land (SIAF) has ini­ti­ated an in­ves­ti­ga­tion into an ac­ci­dent that oc­curred in Ivalo on 13 No­vem­ber 2024. A tracked all-ter­rain car­rier trans­port­ing con­scripts from the Finnish Bor­der Guard ran off the road in con­nec­tion with an ex­er­cise.

The vehicle was carrying 23 conscripts when the accident happened. They sustained injuries of varying degrees, which required different levels of treatment.

“The investigation will particularly focus on service safety. We will among others examine how exercises are organized. In addition, we will have a close look on rescue operations and the preparedness for multiple and mass casualty incidents in the northern regions of Finland. At this stage, we cannot say more. We will come back to this as the investigation progresses,” says Timo Naskali, Investigator in Charge.

“Furthermore, in Finland we have national conscription, and 23 conscripts were injured. This alone is a sufficient reason to investigate the accident, since our task is to improve public safety,” says Timo Naskali, Head of Investigation.

The purpose of safety investigations is to improve public safety and prevent new accidents and incidents. Matters of guilt and liability will not be addressed in the investigation.

The Safety Investigation Authority will continue the investigation with the collection of background information and documents and with hearings.

The duration of the safety investigation is approximately 9 to 12 months.