– ⁠ We didn’t have a chance, it was terrible. You heard people yelling for help.

Around the country (NETTAVISEN): This is the story of “Katastrofe, Kvinne 1” and “Katastrofe, mann 1” that were hit by the landslide at Ask in Gjerdrum.

This was the identity of the patient in Ahus before the real identity was confirmed, says Stein Magne Ranum (69) and Mona Torp (65), which is what they are actually called.

The identity of the patient is confirmed on the barcode wristbands located next to the hospital beds in Ahus.

– I heard people yelling for help.

The couple say they were the first two patients to arrive after the disaster.

– We didn’t have a chance, it was terrible. You heard people yelling for help around you, but we didn’t get a chance to help them. You had enough with yourself where you were sitting, says Stein Magne to Nettavisen from Ahus’s room in Lørenskog.

– It was also fast clay, and you don’t know how it would have gone if you had gone on it. Perhaps one had sunk.

Together with cohabitant Mona Torp, they receive Nettavisen. There are many emotions when they tell what they have experienced the last two days. The landslide at Ask in the municipality of Gjerdrum has left clear traces, both physical and mental.

The house is level, they will never go back to Nystulia 35.

Stein Magne and Mona tell how they woke up when the bedroom wall thundered. They thought it was a plow, but seconds later the bedroom wall was knocked down.

In the end they slid off the bed and Stein Magne pinched his leg. Mona says she also has a washing machine on her head and shows several of the 15 stitches she has sewn.

Right after the landslide, Mona called for help and didn’t know if her boyfriend was alive. But he got an answer from him and Stein Magne finally let go, but he did not see his partner Mona, who was lying under a pile of boards.

– It was absolutely awful. My first thought was that it will get dark if there is a new landslide. I have the idea that this is not going well. I felt it fall on my head while on my knees. I think he was on his knees, I don’t remember well. It all came with a fury, Mona says.

– Eventually Stein Magne pulled me out and we went out and went to bed. I don’t really know where we were lying either, I can’t imagine. When we looked around we didn’t know where we were.

Thought of death

It was the night of Wednesday, December 30. The landslide is gone. The emergency services were notified at 03.59 that a landslide had occurred in a large residential area. The landslide in Gjerdrum is the largest rapid clay landslide in Norway in recent times, and more than 1000 people may be affected by the landslide.

On Friday night, one person was confirmed dead, while nine were still missing.

The online newspaper met with Stein Magne and Mona hours before the first death was confirmed. They know how lucky they have been themselves. After the avalanche washed away their home, they stayed outside for three hours waiting for help.

It was damp and cold. Not least, the uncertainty was unbearable.

– The worst thing I thought was being in the square. I froze and heard people around me asking for help without my being able to do anything. It hurt a lot, Mona says.

– I never thought I had been so happy in my life as when he squatted in front of me from the helicopter and asked me if I was happy to see him. And yes, it should be safe. That was the best feeling. But I don’t remember anything about the helicopter trip other than being hauled up on a stretcher. He simply couldn’t bear to open his eyes to be completely honest. In fact, I had given up when I was lying on the ground and I knew that I had a large cut on my head and was bleeding terribly.

Here you can watch a longer video interview with Mona and Stein Magne.

But before getting there, there were many dark thoughts. The idea that he was going to die included.

– I thought life is over now. I think I was brave for a long time, but I saw life in the magazine. I gave up and couldn’t take it anymore. It was so terrible to lie there with the uncertainty of whether they were going to rescue us or when the next mass of clay would arrive. But I also thought about family.

Several of Mona and Stein Magne’s closest neighbors are missing. They hope for as long as possible to find as many alive as possible.

– It’s absolutely cruel to think about that. I understand that some of them live in the houses next to us and others in the same building where we live. It’s absolutely terrible to think that there are still people there, Mona says.

– Thinking of those who have not been found

The couple was even within walking distance of a man who still misses his partner and a son. The online newspaper knows the identity of the man.

– It is tragic and unwelcoming to think of the poor who are left behind and may have lost their family.

During the interview, she has to shed tears. When you think about what they have experienced in the last 24 hours, you can’t help yourself.

– We have a kitten that we miss that has not recovered. It’s a bit heavy. Then there are thoughts about everything that has happened. It was hard to be out there for three hours in just my panties when I was so wet. It was incredibly difficult to lie there and listen to everything that was happening. The small breeds and the motive that moved all the time. I kept thinking that next time we finish.

– But we are sitting here and happy about it. There have been many thoughts, but we must rejoice that it went as well as it did. But we didn’t have a great time here last night, says Stein Magne.

When he speaks of “last night” he is referring to New Year’s Eve. The night of celebration, party and we look forward to new opportunities.

– I think a lot about those who have not been found and how terrible it is to lie there and not be able to help those who were crying out for help, says Mona.

– Feels safe

– What did you think when the landslide happened?

– I thought I hope there is no other. Then they probably would have dug us underground. There must have been a lot of energy in the landslide for the house to have moved 400 meters, says Stein Magne.

He and Mona count and show the head injuries, dozens of wounds and cuts to the arms, legs and back.

– I also have a lot of abrasions and I am quite bruised. Also, I have a lot of pain everywhere, says Mona.

– I have a cut on the nape of seven centimeters. Also, I hurt my foot where I passed the wall. But it is not something that is broken, fortunately. We’re both full-bodied too, says Stein Magne.

The bride praises the sanitation workers of Ahus in the clouds. They talk about the good treatment and that they are well cared for. They are given pain relievers, their wounds are cleaned, cared for, and bandaged. They have also been verified with CT and X-rays.

– They have checked everything and here we feel safe.

– We have not laughed so much, naturally, but we have tried to keep the good humor. The nurses have been cheerful and helpful and have contributed to a better environment.

Even though they have survived a terrible natural disaster, they cannot completely let go of the joy of living.

– I have thought about the idea that we have been lucky. At the same time, I do not feel the greatest joy when I know that many can caress. But we must both be happy we did well. At the same time, it feels a bit selfish when I think that there are families below the masses, Mona says.

They both suffered a heart attack

Both she and Stein Magne are prepared for the fact that it will be demanding to move on in life after the huge space Christmas drama.

– I hope so when we have it a little distant. But I never think we can completely forget about the experience. I am absolutely sure. But we hope we can put it behind us and I think it will be important to talk about what has happened. But this will always hang over us. The date is etched in memory, the two agreed.

This is not the first time the couple has been unlucky. In 2010, Mona was left a widow when her ex-husband died. 35 years of marriage ended abruptly. But in 2016 he suffered a heart attack.

In April 2019, love blossomed again when she met Stein Magne. But in October of that year he suffered a heart attack. In 2020 came the crisis of the crown. And the night of December 30 of the same year needs no further introduction.

Now they hope that the new year will mean a better and more carefree life.

– For us, this time it was not New Years Eve. We stood at the bedroom window and saw the rockets at midnight. It was nothing more and for us it was fine. We just have to think harder and hope that 2021 is a better year without the crown and all the rest, say Mona and Stein Magne.

Life has gradually begun to advance. A completely unknown but kind-hearted person has provided them with temporary accommodation. When Nettavisen met them, they were looked down upon by friends and acquaintances who wanted to know how it went.

– There are many who care. We realize that. And we are happy about that. It would have been much worse if no one had contacted, say the couple.

– We do not have a bank card, driver’s license or passport. So we don’t have an identity card. So it is very convenient to fix it. But fortunately there are many who help with clothes, housing, money through fundraisers on Facebook, so we have been able to buy the most necessary things in the first days. We hope to return to normal as soon as possible.