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Rescue work continued in the dark at Ask in Gjerdrum municipality on Wednesday night. A rapid clay landslide occurred in the morning while it was still dark, and at night there was still movement in the landslide, which is 700 meters long and 300 meters wide, according to the Directorate of Water Resources and Energy. Norway (NVE).
Among the ten undescribed people, there are men and women of different ages, as well as children.
Police: probably people in the avalanche area
Search teams are still looking for survivors, not dead, but they named the ten who were lost Wednesday night.
Initially, there were 26 people who were not counted, but the number has been lowered several times.
Among the 16 who volunteered during the day, several had left and some had also managed to leave the area on their own, but lacked communication opportunities.
Police say there are many people in the area of the landslide. There may be more and fewer people in the area of the landslide than the ten missing. Police note that people they do not know may now be in the area of the landslide.
Demanding darkness
Police first reported the incident at 5.18am on Wednesday morning. The relief teams themselves were overwhelmed when daylight came and revealed just how extensive the landslide was.
Images from the site show several houses stretched out in a large crater created by the landslide. Several houses are near the rim of the crater and during the day several buildings collapsed outside. The weather was demanding for much of Wednesday.
Darkness makes rescue work more demanding. From night to Thursday, the emergency services will have a continuous monitoring of the area, and the police will also have enough resources behind to make an effort if action is required.
Task leader Roger Pettersen in the Eastern Police District emphasizes that the police will keep up the activity overnight, but there will be fewer people working on rescue work tonight.
– We have to rest some crews and rollers, and then the best thing is that we do it at night when it is darkest, he said at a press conference at 6 pm
The police have also worked to illuminate the place.
Extensive rescue operation
All emergency services have been very present in the area. The help of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Civil Defense and voluntary organizations has been used.
A Swedish crisis team was also dispatched to Gjerdrum to help search for missing persons in the landslide area and protect buildings.
Norway’s leading experts have worked all day to get an overview of the landslide, extent and risk at Gjerdrum.
NVE sent geologists to the site Wednesday night to assist police.
The interior landslide area is only accessible by helicopter, and Sea King helicopters have been flying overhead and assisting all day. Several people have been lifted from the landslides and helped out of the area from the air. Heat-seeking cameras saved lives Wednesday, according to police.
Disaster
The night avalanche accident at Gjerdrum has left a deep impression on the royal family.
– In a situation that is still unclear, I send my deepest hope and sincere concern to all those affected by the disaster, King Harald said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) was on the scene earlier in the day along with Justice Minister Monica Mæland (H).
– It’s a dramatic experience to be here and see footage from the accident scene and the entire landslide and of course to know that there are several that have yet to be accounted for, Solberg said.
Both Solberg and the police refer to the landslide as a disaster.
– It’s probably one of the largest landslides we’ve had and with the biggest consequences, Solberg said.
1,000 evacuees
A total of 10 people have been taken to the hospital and the emergency room after the landslide, but none of them were seriously injured.
So far, around 1,000 people have been evacuated.
A clearly emotional Gjerdrum mayor, Anders Østensen (Labor Party), said on Wednesday night that he expected many of the missing were traveling or in the hut or similar.
– We are not a big place, so it is clear that this affects us. The possibility that we will meet many of those affected is great, he said.
The Gjerdrum church was open on Wednesday evening.
– We pray and wait for those affected, the missing and those involved in relief work and crisis management, says Bishop Atle Sommerfeldt.
