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It is with great sadness that I inform you that we no longer have any hope of finding people alive in the avalanche. Now I can only feel the contours of the pain they leave behind. Ten people have lost their lives, three are still missing, Police Chief Ida Melbo Øystese said during a press conference at 3 pm today.
She tells Dagbladet after the press conference that this was a very difficult decision to make.
– It is a decision that is demanding, but I have had very good advisers. We have worked on this issue continuously, because it is so important that it is correct. It shouldn’t last too long or too long, Øystese says.
She says this has been an ongoing process, that it has gone in parallel.
– We have worked all the time to make sure that we really have a chance to find life. And when that opportunity no longer exists, then we have to make that decision, he explains.
Huge forces
He says that there were several things that were decisive in their reaching this decision this afternoon.
– Many days have passed, we were hoping that there were elements in the structure of the building, that could have enough insulation to survive. Now we have examined those structures without finding any. We also see that there have been enormous forces in that landslide, and studies show that the people we’ve encountered have lost their lives relatively quickly, he says.
– It is the sum of all these things that makes us conclude that it has been difficult to survive in the avalanche, but only when we have done all the work tasks can we be sure of that conclusion.
Woke up
As the chief of police, she has the top leadership of the entire extensive rescue operation in the area of landslides in Ask Gjerdrum, a job that began right after the landslide occurred in the small village.
– It is clear that it is very special to be awakened at four in the night in the middle of Christmas with a message that a large landslide has occurred in my district, Øystese says.
– Fortunately, we have a good organization and many good employees, who knew that they were equipped and were able to handle this very, very confusing situation, he continues.
Still, he doesn’t hide the fact that it has been difficult.
– I think we all experience it as an extra human tension when many people have lost their homes and many people have lost their lives. So we’ve all done our best, says the chief of police.
– How does this affect you personally?
– I am very fond of my work and I am grateful to have a profession in which I can contribute when society or people are in crisis. At the same time, we should never become so professional that we do not feel the human strain it places on those who are truly affected. Now we have been in an acute rescue phase, where we have been in a very professional approach, but at the same time it affects us to reach the decision that all hope is gone. Then there will be more room to feel how difficult this is.
– No more hope
Next step
As chief of police, Øystese has operational responsibility until the dead are no longer searched.
– Now we are working to find everyone and we are making plans for it. Now we will look a bit elsewhere in the avalanche. In this job, it becomes important to ensure that no one else is injured in this landslide, says the police chief.
