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Developer Odd Sæther (67) hopes that no lives were lost in the rapid clay landslide at Gjerdrum.
Odd Sæther has been the developer of more than 200 homes in the Ask area of Gjerdrum, where a large landslide occurred on Wednesday night. Police have yet to count 26 people in the aftermath of the landslide, which NVE says is still continuing.
He tells Romerikes Blad that he hopes no one lost their lives in the avalanche.
He lives nearby and was evacuated earlier today.
– I live right next door. Earlier today I heard the helicopter in the air, but I didn’t understand what it was. Shortly after, someone knocked on the door and I was evacuated. They said there had been a landslide, Sæther tells VG.
– It’s tragic all together. I sincerely hope that no life has passed, he says.
– Very uncomfortable
He tells VG that he has lived in the area for 20-30 years.
He himself estimates that they have built between 200 and 300 apartments. These are mainly houses for four and six people.
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Sæther says that they have done all the protection of the race after the book.
– It is very uncomfortable. We try to be careful and do things the way they should be. We have done the same. NGI, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, has controlled in detail what we are going to do and we have followed what they have said. This included, among other things, the stabilization of rock massifs. I’m even more surprised that something like this could happen, he says.
DEVELOPER: Odd Sæther (67) has built more than 200 apartments. Photo: Private
– Several small races
In 2012, there was a landslide on Ask. At that time, development in the area where there has now been a landslide stopped, according to Romerikes Blad.
According to Sæther, NGI and outside geologists conducted new assessments. It says that NVE was also in the field.
– There have been some small races. The 2012 landslide was not linked to us. In the history of Gjerdrum, there has never been a landslide as large as today that I can remember, he says.
The houses he has built are made of clay, says Sæther. He was surprised by the direction of the avalanche.
– When I heard about the landslide, I thought it had collapsed from east to west. I was very surprised to hear that he had gone north to south, he says.
The landslide is in progress
The Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE) says they are now unable to say anything about the cause of the landslide.
The regional manager of the Eastern Region at NVE, Toril Hofshagen, describes the landslide as the largest rapid clay landslide in recent times – 300 times 700 meters.
– There is still shelling in the avalanche pits, and we do not have full control over how far it will go before it stops, he told reporters today.
Throughout the morning and into the morning, NVE has conducted ongoing evaluations of the police and emergency services regarding evacuation and rescue efforts.
– There is a danger that more houses will be taken. The landslide still continues, emphasizes the regional manager.
