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Authorities identified five deaths as of Sunday. Among them were a two-year-old girl and her 40-year-old father. The other dead identified are a woman in her 50s and her 29-year-old son, as well as a 31-year-old man whose body was the first to be found on New Year’s Day.
The fate of the people in the disaster area about 40 kilometers northeast of Oslo had accompanied the Norwegians at the turn of the year. The Norwegian royal family also showed their sympathy. King Harald V (83), Queen Sonja (83) and Crown Prince Haakon (47) traveled to Gjerdrum municipality on Sunday to meet with representatives of the community, emergency services and those affected. In the commune church they also lit candles in memory of the victims. “That’s absolutely terrible,” Harald later said of the accident. “It is very difficult to put into words.”
The landslide in Ask had already occurred at the beginning of December 30, it had expanded to a length of about 700 meters and a width of 300 meters and left a huge crater. At least ten people were injured and nine houses with more than 30 residential units collapsed. About 1,000 people have been saved so far.
The ground in parts of the snowy accident area was initially so unstable after the exit that it was too dangerous for rescuers to enter. Instead, helicopters and drones were used to search for survivors. Since Friday, rescuers and police dogs could also be sent on foot to the red zone in the area, where the first body was found.
The first one found, a 31-year-old man, was apparently also a friend of Norwegian professional tennis player Casper Ruud. “We have lost a fantastic person and a fantastic fellow citizen. I have lost a friend, a colleague and an important colleague on my team,” the 22-year-old wrote on Instagram. According to the NTB news agency, the 31-year-old has worked with various sports professionals and held a management position in a company he ran with Ruud.
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