Eyewitness rescues himself moments before explosion at Töölö Hospital construction site in Helsinki

An eyewitness rescued himself just moments before an explosion occurred at a construction site for Töölö Hospital in Helsinki. Trung Le was parking his brown-gray Kia on Stenbäckinkatu on Friday afternoon and had just exited his vehicle when he heard a loud blast and saw small stones flying in the air, heading towards pedestrians.

Return to the scene about thirty minutes later revealed that debris from the explosion had shattered the window of his parked car, which was situated over 200 meters away from the point of the blast. “I couldn’t imagine that the explosion would be so powerful that it would send rocks flying that far,” Le commented.

Residents nearby also remarked on the unusual sound of the explosion. Markku Vierula, who was brushing his teeth when the blast occurred, noted, “A stone hit the wall of the building across the street.” Aleksi Tiira, another local, described the noise as similar to the pressure release of a large champagne bottle.

Fortunately, Le reported that he was unharmed and emphasized that had he left his car just moments later, the consequences could have been far more serious. The incident remains under investigation by authorities.