- Jul 24, 2002
- 2,608
- 0
- 0
This is pretty scary cos I have been in this mall many times and I have sat where the bomb exploded many times also. There were a lot of children calualties becouse there was a clown show going on.
By Paul de Bendern
HELSINKI (Reuters) - A powerful bomb which ripped through a packed shopping center in a Helsinki suburb killing seven and injuring dozens was suspected to have been carried out by one of the casualties, Finnish police said on Saturday.
"There are no indications of motives yet," National Bureau of Investigation Chief Inspector Tero Haapala told a news conference. He said the suspect, of Finnish origin and under the age of 20, had been identified. Haapala said the suspect, a Helsinki University student, had no criminal record. It was too early to say if he had acted alone. "We are also investigating the possibility that he could have had accomplices," Haapala said.
Police said the bomb exploded in the center of the mall near a crowd of children being entertained by a clown. One child was among the dead.
The blast, Finland's deadliest for decades, ripped through the country's second largest mall at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, killing seven and wounding at least 80 others. Shoppers fled the scene screaming shoppers in fear amid flying debris.
"...The number of victims shows what a shocking, ruthless and despicable thing this is," said a somber Interior Minister Ville Itala.
Hospitals said the injured were no longer in critical condition.
Authorities said they were still considering all possible motives for the bombing, including an act of terror. The explosion badly damaged an area of some 3,200 square feet and sent metal debris and glass flying across the three-story building.
SHOPPERS PANICKED
Witnesses said they heard a blast and then the lights went out. Many people panicked and children were screaming, witnesses told local media.
"There was an explosion, the windows shook. The floor shook. I didn't see a fire but I saw some 50 to 100 people rushing out of the mall," security guard Jami Koskimaki told Reuters.
Several visitors said they were sure it was a bomb.
"Suddenly we heard an explosion and thought it was a bomb. It was chaotic," Antonia Koki-Makkonen told YLE national television. "We had told ourselves before that we shouldn't shop on a Friday evening because it's so busy."
Police, fire brigade, medical helicopters and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene. Television footage showed injured people being treated by ambulance services and blood on the mall's staircases.
"We've been dealing with severe blast and crush injuries, with maimed arms and legs. The main problem is all the metal pieces embedded in injured bodies. It is clear someone intended to cause a lot of damage to a lot of people in a very dense area," Toolo hospital chief doctor Eero Hivensalo told Reuters.
Deliberately set explosions are rare in relatively crime-free Finland. The last such blast was in July when a car bomb killed a Finn in what authorities said was probably a gangland attack.
The last major peacetime blast in the Nordic country of 5.2 million inhabitants was in 1970s when an explosion at a munitions factory killed 40 people, authorities said.
President Tarja Halonen and Lipponen expressed their condolences. "This has never happened in Finland before. The explosion has shocked all of us Finns," Lipponen said. "I can assure you that the government...will not rest until the guilty one or ones have been brought to justice."
The Myyrmanni mall in Vantaa, a suburb some 15 km (10 miles) north of the capital, has 138 shops and restaurants. The 32,000 square meter mall opened in 1994 and is run by Finnish Citycon.
By Paul de Bendern
HELSINKI (Reuters) - A powerful bomb which ripped through a packed shopping center in a Helsinki suburb killing seven and injuring dozens was suspected to have been carried out by one of the casualties, Finnish police said on Saturday.
"There are no indications of motives yet," National Bureau of Investigation Chief Inspector Tero Haapala told a news conference. He said the suspect, of Finnish origin and under the age of 20, had been identified. Haapala said the suspect, a Helsinki University student, had no criminal record. It was too early to say if he had acted alone. "We are also investigating the possibility that he could have had accomplices," Haapala said.
Police said the bomb exploded in the center of the mall near a crowd of children being entertained by a clown. One child was among the dead.
The blast, Finland's deadliest for decades, ripped through the country's second largest mall at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, killing seven and wounding at least 80 others. Shoppers fled the scene screaming shoppers in fear amid flying debris.
"...The number of victims shows what a shocking, ruthless and despicable thing this is," said a somber Interior Minister Ville Itala.
Hospitals said the injured were no longer in critical condition.
Authorities said they were still considering all possible motives for the bombing, including an act of terror. The explosion badly damaged an area of some 3,200 square feet and sent metal debris and glass flying across the three-story building.
SHOPPERS PANICKED
Witnesses said they heard a blast and then the lights went out. Many people panicked and children were screaming, witnesses told local media.
"There was an explosion, the windows shook. The floor shook. I didn't see a fire but I saw some 50 to 100 people rushing out of the mall," security guard Jami Koskimaki told Reuters.
Several visitors said they were sure it was a bomb.
"Suddenly we heard an explosion and thought it was a bomb. It was chaotic," Antonia Koki-Makkonen told YLE national television. "We had told ourselves before that we shouldn't shop on a Friday evening because it's so busy."
Police, fire brigade, medical helicopters and dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene. Television footage showed injured people being treated by ambulance services and blood on the mall's staircases.
"We've been dealing with severe blast and crush injuries, with maimed arms and legs. The main problem is all the metal pieces embedded in injured bodies. It is clear someone intended to cause a lot of damage to a lot of people in a very dense area," Toolo hospital chief doctor Eero Hivensalo told Reuters.
Deliberately set explosions are rare in relatively crime-free Finland. The last such blast was in July when a car bomb killed a Finn in what authorities said was probably a gangland attack.
The last major peacetime blast in the Nordic country of 5.2 million inhabitants was in 1970s when an explosion at a munitions factory killed 40 people, authorities said.
President Tarja Halonen and Lipponen expressed their condolences. "This has never happened in Finland before. The explosion has shocked all of us Finns," Lipponen said. "I can assure you that the government...will not rest until the guilty one or ones have been brought to justice."
The Myyrmanni mall in Vantaa, a suburb some 15 km (10 miles) north of the capital, has 138 shops and restaurants. The 32,000 square meter mall opened in 1994 and is run by Finnish Citycon.
FINLAND?!
Facebook
Twitter