A man delivering flowers in Sweden has had his nose and ear bitten off by a colleague. The men also knocked the power out of a nearby school when their Dutch-registered truck rammed a transformer.
The incident, which took place at around 3 a.m. on Thursday in the southern Swedish town of Växjö, left one of the men needing intensive care. Both are suspected of attempted homicide.
Police spokesman Robert Loeffel described the night's events as "macabre".
When police arrived on the scene they first found a 58-year-old man suffering from serious facial injuries.
"One of his ears had been bitten off, as had parts of his nose," said Loeffel.
Police later recovered the missing body parts and transported them to the hospital where doctors managed to sew them back on.
A few hundred metres away, police discovered another man with life-threatening injuries. He was immediately taken to hospital, where he underwent an operation. He remained in a critical condition on Thursday afternoon.
Adding to the scene of general destruction was an articulated truck, loaded with flowers. It had somehow crashed into a transformer, knocking out the electricity in a nearby school and sports hall. Both premises remained without electricity on Thursday morning.
Police believe that the men travelled together to Växjö. The 58-year-old drove the vehicle and was accompanied by the other man, who has not yet been identified. On Wednesday evening they stopped for a rest, parking the truck outside the sports hall some distance away from the transformer which was later rammed.
What happened next is still a mystery.
"We hope to solve it after we have spoken to the driver," said Loeffel.
The driver, his face heavily bandaged, was released from hospital on Thursday afternoon and immediately placed in police custody.
The other man's condition remains serious. It is not yet clear when he will be in a fit state to face police questioning.
Both men are suspected of attempted homicide
