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Wednesday, December 30, 2020
12 people are still missing
Norway: landslide devastates houses in abyss
For the inhabitants of a town in southern Norway, the year ends with a nightmare: in the middle of the night, mud and dirt began to slide and drag their houses down. The town around the capital, Oslo, is partially evacuated and the wounded are taken to hospital.
A large landslide surprised the inhabitants of a small town in southern Norway overnight and affected several buildings. According to the police, 12 people were missing on Wednesday night; by then there were no reports of confirmed deaths. At least 10 people were injured in the early morning departure in Ask, about 40 kilometers northwest of the capital Oslo, as police said. Six of them were taken to hospitals, said operations manager Roger Pettersen. More than 700 residents were taken to safety as a precaution.
Exit over a length of 700 meters: the floor is made of Quickton.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Justice Minister Monica Maeland traveled to Ask to get an idea of the local situation. “I agree with the police that this is a disaster,” Solberg said after speaking with operations management. The landslide extended over a length of 700 meters and a width of 300 meters. The exact cause of the departure was not clear initially. But it could be related to the local soil type, he said. This is Quickton, a water-rich structure that is unstable. There are hills in the Ask area but no high mountains. It had rained a lot there recently.
“This is one of the largest landslides in recent years,” said Torild Hofshagen of the Norwegian Water and Power Authority. In his opinion, the cause could be natural or mining.
“I woke up because the house was shaking”
Those affected are taken to safety in helicopters.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
According to media reports, the police had been alerted around 4 am and launched a major rescue operation, which also included the Red Cross. Helicopters were used to bring people from the affected areas. At first the darkness made rescue work difficult, then there was snowfall. Geologists also came to the city of 5,000. The missing lived in the affected area, but could also have been outside at the time of the landslide, Pettersen said. Olav Gjerdingen’s house is only 150 meters from the site where the landslide occurred. He and his wife were awakened by police, he reported to state broadcaster NRK.
“I woke up because the house was shaking,” said another man who was also able to get to safety. “At first I thought it was a bulldozer.” But then the power went out, neighbors broke in and reported the landslide. According to Prime Minister Solberg, the rescue and cleanup work could still take several days.
