Four People Dead, Dozens Injured In Finland Train Crash

An express train derailed in heavy fog early Sunday near Helsinki, killing four people and injuring 50, rescue officials said.

The overnight train from Oulu, northern Finland, was headed for Helsinki with 200 passengers. It derailed when the conductors were about to wake up the passengers.

The engine and eight carriages - mostly sleepers - ran off the tracks near Jokela, 30 miles north of the capital. The engine driver and three passengers died. Seven passengers were in critical condition, officials said.

Many passengers climbed onto the roofs of the carriages which jackknifed across the tracks, blocking all train traffic to northern and eastern Finland as well as Russia.

The cause of the accident was not known.

It was the worst train accident in Finland since 1957, when 26 people died in a collision of two express trains.