A man in his 20s died Monday morning in a traffic collision along Finnfjordvatnet on County Road 855, the access road to Finnsnes in Senja municipality.
The crash, involving a car and a truck with a trailer, prompted a lengthy road closure and an ongoing investigation.
Henrik Melsbø, operations leader for the Troms police district, confirmed the fatality to Nordlys shortly before noon.
According to police, the man was a Norwegian citizen but not a resident of Northern Norway.
The road had been closed since the accident Monday morning and remained shut down as of noon.
Investigators, including forensic technicians and a team from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, were at the scene to gather evidence.
Melsbø estimated the road would remain closed for at least another two hours.
The collision was a head-on impact between a passenger vehicle and a truck with a trailer.
Emergency services were alerted to the scene just before 7:00 a.m.
Man Confirmed Dead
Two people were involved in the crash, one in each vehicle, according to the Troms police district operations leader.
Police confirmed at 8:35 a.m. That the driver of the car had died in the accident. The man’s next of kin have been notified.
The truck remained off the roadway after the collision, while the wreckage of the car was found at an exit from the county road.
The road will remain blocked while the investigation continues, with traffic being diverted.
Martin Berg, incident commander for the Troms police district, said the truck was traveling away from Finnsnes, while the car was heading toward the town. The speed limit in the area is 80 kilometers per hour (approximately 50 mph).
The driver of the truck was transported to a local medical facility for evaluation. The extent of their injuries is currently unknown.
Road Closed
The scene is being documented with drone footage.
Berg stated that investigators are currently unsure of the factors that contributed to the crash, including speed or road conditions. He noted that the road was not icy when police arrived.
Traffic is being diverted via County Road 86 toward Sørreisa.
Third Traffic Fatality
Monday’s fatal crash marks the third traffic-related death in Troms this year.
On January 27, two sisters died in a traffic accident in Tjeldsund, where a foreign national has been charged. The state prosecutor has filed charges against the Indonesian tourist under section 281 of the Penal Code, for negligently causing the death of another person.
Updates to follow.
