Estonian police hunt three men after fatal mass brawl in Kohtla-Järve

A 21-year-old man died on Sunday evening after a large brawl broke out in Kohtla-Järve, a town in Estonia's Ida-Viru County, according to ERR News. The man was injured at the scene and died while being transported to hospital despite paramedics' efforts. The precise cause of death and nature of his injuries remain under investigation.

Reports indicate that around 20 men gathered in a secluded location at roughly 9 p.m. to settle a dispute between two rival groups that had started the previous Friday. Besides the man who died, a 23-year-old and a 19-year-old also needed medical attention, with the latter taken to hospital for examination. A 17-year-old boy who had taken part in the confrontation later sought hospital treatment overnight. Police have not ruled out the possibility of further, unreported victims.

Search underway for suspects

Nikita Golovin, head of the Police and Border Guard Board in nearby Jõhvi, said that many of those identified as participants were already known to police for previous offenses, and several have been detained. Authorities are now searching for three men — 50-year-old Konstantin, 26-year-old Sergei and 25-year-old Roman — who are also known to police but, according to Golovin, do not pose a danger to the general public.

Golovin stressed that ordinary residents have no reason to feel unsafe and that it remains secure to move around Kohtla-Järve. He described the scale of the brawl as unprecedented in his 12 years working in Ida-Viru County, saying he could not recall a similar incident during his career.

ERR reported that the clash occurred in a secluded stretch of Endla tänav on the edge of town, where residents noticed police vehicles present on Sunday night and into Monday. Golovin said the site was chosen away from populated areas and that few people were nearby at the time of the incident.