The waste container was shattered, and fragments of the structure increased the amount of shrapnel and the devastation.

The explosion ruined 400 m2 of the shopping center, carved a 10-cm deep crater in the floor where the waste container had stood and blew the glass dome over the square up and outwards from the mall.

[3] The bomb carrier was Petri Erkki Tapio Gerdt (April 17, 1983 – October 11, 2002), a 19-year-old chemical engineering student at the Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology (EVTEK).

It was a 1.5 liter plastic bottle that contained ammonium nitrate and nitromethane with shotgun pellets and weighed about 2–3 kilograms (4.4–6.6 lb).

[1] On October 15, 2002, Finland observed a national day of mourning in response to the tragic events.

Government buildings were closed, a moment of silence was observed in Parliament, and flags across the country were flown at half-staff to honor the victims.