There has been a rise in the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by hunting accidents in Finland this year compared to previous years.
In the most recent event, a hunter accidentally shot a man in a forest in Suonenjoki (Northern Savonia) on Saturday afternoon. Police have stated that despite the wound being life-threatening, the victim’s condition is currently stable.
According to Iltalehti, while the country sees an average of 5–10 hunting accidents every year, fatalities are relatively rare.
Including the event mentioned above, there were a total of four serious incidents related to hunting this year, including two deaths.
In October, a hunter in Multia (Central Finland) was shot in the neck by a member of another hunting party. The injuries were not serious and the victim survived.
In a tragic incident in Kuusamo (Northern Ostrobothnia) in the same month, a hunter fired a gun that he mistakenly thought was empty indoors, killing his friend. Another tragedy occurred in October when a cyclist was shot and killed by a hunter’s bullet when travelling through Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland.
The reasons behind the growing number of unfortunate incidents remain unclear. Some speculate that hunting accidents have risen due to increased hours spent in the woods by both hunters and passersby, while others attribute it to a lack of adequate safety training.
Tahira Sequeira
Helsinki Times
