Driverless bus rolls onto pedestrian in central Helsinki, woman seriously injured

A woman was seriously injured in Helsinki on Saturday after a driverless bus rolled onto her near Senate Square, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports.

The incident occurred at the intersection of Unioninkatu and Senate Square shortly before 1 p.m. local time. The empty bus, believed to be a tourist vehicle, began moving downhill and struck the pedestrian before coming to a stop after colliding with another parked bus.

Emergency services transported the injured woman to hospital. Police confirmed the bus was unoccupied at the time of the accident and are investigating the cause.

Authorities have opened a preliminary probe into potential traffic safety violations and bodily harm charges, though the classification may change as the investigation progresses. Police have not released further details at this stage.