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Rescuers used thermal camera drones to search for ten people who were still missing after a landslide destroyed more than a dozen houses in southern Norway.
Helicopters and dogs were also deployed, as the unstable clay soil made it unsafe for emergency workers to walk in the area in Gjerdrum municipality about 30 kilometers north of Oslo.
The crater left by the landslide has continued to grow as the rims break open and three more houses collapsed Wednesday afternoon.
The Norwegian media reported that a total of nine buildings containing 31 housing units, as well as six garages, had been razed. Police said they could not rule out that other buildings also sank into the hole.
Ten people were injured, including one seriously injured, and around 1,000 people have been evacuated from the area near the village of Ask.
“We are still looking for survivors,” police spokesman Roger Pettersen told reporters Thursday morning as the rescue operation continued into its second day.
Up to 26 people were initially feared to have been in the mud-washed houses, but that number had dropped to 10 by Thursday morning as more were counted.
Pettersen said both children and adults were missing.
“The search has lasted all night and now there are ten people who have not been accounted for in connection with the landslide,” police said in a statement.
“The search work will continue throughout the day.”
A Dalmatian dog was recovered overnight after being discovered by a drone in the area of the landslide. Owner Anna Sandman said she and her husband were “delighted” to be reunited with their pet Zajka, as they were forced to leave her behind when they were rescued by helicopter on Wednesday.
Sandman told broadcaster NRK that they were awakened by “strange noises” around 4 am. “We tried to get out. As we headed for the front door, everything collapsed around us. And we stood in the middle of the landslide and we had clay and debris from the house all around us. So we couldn’t get to the front door, it no longer existed. ”
Aerial view taken by rescue helicopter of the crater left by landslide
(AP)
Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters that the incident was “a catastrophe” after visiting the site, adding: “There could be people trapped … but at the same time we cannot be sure because it is the New Year’s party.” . which means that people could be elsewhere. ”
In a rare public statement, King Harald, the 83-year-old Norwegian monarch, said the incident “made a deep impression on me and my family.”
“My thoughts are with all those who are affected, injured or have lost their homes, and those who now live in fear and uncertainty due to the magnitude of the catastrophe.
Meanwhile, questions were raised about the decision to build new homes in the area despite the fact that a 2005 geological study warned it was at high risk of landslides.
Police have asked local residents not to set off fireworks to celebrate New Year’s Eve to avoid endangering the safety of helicopter crews or interfering with drones.
Additional agency reports
