Helsinki: Several people died on Saturday when two helicopters carrying a total of five people collided mid-air in Finland and crashed to the ground, police said.

"The accident has resulted in several fatalities. The exact number of victims and the identities of the passengers are still being determined," the police said in a statement.

Media reported that the helicopters had taken off from Estonia and were carrying businessmen, with three people in one and two in the other.

Reports said they collided west of the capital, Helsinki, around midday. Officials gave no indication of what caused the collision.

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti quoted a witness, Antti Marjanen, as saying they saw one of the helicopters hit the other during a manoeuvre.

"One of them dropped like a stone and the other one more slowly. I didn't hear any sound," Marjanen was quoted as saying.

AFP