One of the survivors of the aircraft crash that killed eight people on Sunday has told police that technical problems may have caused the incident.

"Extremely preliminary information about the circumstances of the incident has come from one survivor," said police investigator Pentti Lehtimäki. "I understand that there was a technical problem with the aircraft," he added.

The survivor told police that the crash happened so quickly that only some of those on board the plane managed to get out in time. The three survivors, who include the pilot, managed to parachute to safety before the aircraft crashed, killing the remaining eight.

Police release crash victims' details

Earlier on Monday police released more details about the skydivers who died. They include two women, aged 23 and 25, from the Pirkanmaa region. Of the six male victims, five were also from Pirkanmaa and were aged between 26 and 35. One more was a 43-year-old man from Helsinki. 

The victims' families were informed on Sunday night, police said. Identifying the bodies proved very difficult because the wreckage was very badly burned, forcing police to consult DNA records.

The Accident Investigation Board (AIB) began its investigation into the fatal crash in Jämijärvi, western Finland, on Monday morning. The AIB have now spoken to all three survivors, who were discharged from hospital in Tampere on Monday, after being treated with minor injuries. Police have so far spoken to one of the survivors by telephone.

Investigation ongoing

At Jämijärvi airfield, a popular site for parachuting and training flights, flags flew at half mast on Monday.

Investigators have said examining the wreckage will be very challenging as the Comp Air 8 light aircraft was almost completely destroyed in the accident. Eyewitnesses reported hearing strange sounds from the plane’s engine and said they saw debris fall from the plane, before it spiralled downwards into the forest on Sunday afternoon.

The investigation into what caused the crash now has three main lines – to examine the wreckage, to interview witnesses and survivors and to pore over any existing film or photographs of the incident, the AIB’s chief investigator Ismo Aaltonen said.

At the accident site, among 12-metre-high pine trees, plane debris has been spread across an area roughly 100 metres across. The area 40 metres around the wreckage has been badly burnt after the impact.  The remains of a harness and parachute can be seen hanging in a tree close to the site.

Police have set up a telephone hotline for anyone needing to contact them in relation to the crash, and have appealed for eyewitnesses to come forward on 050-4564947 and 050-4564972.

16.20 This article was updated to include the latest information about the police investigation and the ages of the victims.