Police said on Twitter that one train passenger had also died and many more were injured.

Local media reported that the army vehicle, which was left a tangled wreck in a snow-covered forest, was taking part in a military excercise at the time.

Eleven people were taken to two hospitals in the region, Finnish news agency STT said.

In Finland, the last serious accident was in 1998 when a train travelling at more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour derailed in Jyvaskyla in central Finland, killing 11 people and injuring 39.