Fighter jet crashes in Rovaniemi during Nordic Defence Ministers meeting
As the ministers discussed the increasingly strained security situation in the region, a F/A 18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in the Rovaniemi airport area.
The incident happened on May 7 at approximately 11 am.
The pilot ejected from the aircraft and his location has been found, the Finnish Defence Ministry informs.
The crash happened as the defence ministers from the Nordic countries are engaged in talks in the north Finnish city.
The meeting is hosted by Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen. Finland this year holds the presidency of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (Nordefco) and the ministers were meeting on May 6-7.
"The agenda of the Nordic Defence Ministers' meeting is exceptionally heavy. We are taking forward the strengthening of the Nordic defence and security of supply on many tracks. The agenda also includes current issues related to NATO, the EU, Ukraine and the US relationship. In connection with the meeting, we will also get to know the conditions of northern defence and Finnish conscript training in Lapland," Häkkänen said in a statement ahead of the meeting.
The crash of the fighter jet is believed to have happened after the main parts of the meeting had ended. Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik says to Forsvarets Forum that he early on May 7 left Rovaniemi.
A local inhabitant says to Yle that he saw the aircraft flying low over a residential area.
"The plane initially attracted attention precisely because it was flying right over the settlement. First of all, it was in the wrong place, where they don't usually fly, and it was really, really low," the man says to the Finnish broadcaster.
According to Yle, parts of the program of the ministers have been cancelled because of the crash. The ministers were initially scheduled to observe a conscript training session in Rovaniemi, but that event was called off.
In a notice issued on X a couple of hours after the crash, the Finnish Armed Forces explains that the fighter jet crashed in a military area.
"Rescue operations are underway and the area has been cordoned off. The ejected pilot has been transferred to a medical facility for further examinations. There are no injuries on the ground associated with the crash," the notice reads.
