Fatal accident in Finland as excavator submerges in Kemijoki river

A person died in an accident involving a submerged excavator in the Kemijoki river in Rovaniemi, Finland, on Wednesday morning. The local police department received a report about the incident at 8 AM. The alert was raised by a bystander who had spotted the sunken excavator. The fire and rescue services were also alerted to the scene.

The eyewitness had seen the operator lowering the excavator from the transporter on the bank of the Kemijoki river at 7:30 AM, according to the police department. The same person returned to the riverside after half an hour and saw the excavator almost completely submerged underwater.

When the rescue service’s diver arrived at the scene following the alert, they found the cabin of the excavator empty. The operator was found dead underwater in the vicinity of the excavator.

The local police department is continuing its investigation into the accident.