Young people paddle homemade ice raft in central Finland

A group of young people in Jämsä, central Finland, spent Saturday evening paddling on open water using a raft they had cut from lake ice, local public broadcaster Yle reports.

An onlooker spotted the group and alerted emergency services, prompting a response from the Central Finland Rescue Department. Fire chief Matti Salkojärvi from the department’s operations centre confirmed that crews arrived at the scene near Arvajanmäki and guided the group back to shore.

“They weren’t in distress when we got there,” Salkojärvi said, adding that the young people returned to their cabin “in good spirits.” He noted that authorities did not assess their equipment or paddling skills, and the exact location of the incident was not disclosed.