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On Wednesday morning, the Swedish crew of the Greater Gothenburg Rescue Service in Sweden received a very special request.
Several people are missing after a large rapid clay landslide in Gjerdrum and Norway needs your special expertise.
– We start packing immediately. Saying no was never an alternative, Tomas Norberg, operations manager for the Swedish USAR team, tells TV 2.
On the same day, a 14-person rescue team travels from Gothenburg to Gjerdrum.
Upon leaving, they know little about the challenging and demanding rescue operation that awaits them.
HARD CONDITIONS: Rescuers are working in the avalanche zone on Friday. Photo: Terje Bendiksby
Intensive work
The Swedish crew is an urban search and rescue team, also called USAR. They have special experience in rescue operations and searches in areas of landslides and collapsed houses.
– This is what we’ve trained ourselves on. We have the equipment and crew to help, says Norberg.
DEMANDING: The work in the avalanche pit has been demanding. Photo: Private
On the bus on the way to Norway, the crew can see the first images of the landslide.
– We were a bit surprised. When we saw the images, we understood that it was going to be difficult and intense work, says Norberg.
Only tables remain
After an entire night of planning and preparations, an extensive ground operation began on Friday morning.
The crews of the Swedish USAR team went down into the avalanche pit along with the Norwegian dog handlers. The goal was to find survivors.
– In some places there were only parts of a wall or some boards. It was impossible to understand what kind of house had once been there, Swedish rescuer Vasilios Larsson tells Goteborgs-posten.
PLANKS: In some places there is only one wall or plank of the house. Photo: Fredrik Hagen
The terrain they were traveling on was very unstable and therefore polystyrene plates were placed for the crew to walk.
– It’s a tricky area. In some places, the soil is solid, while in other places it’s just liquid clay, Larsson says.
Working in the red zone was not without risk. The leader of the police task force, Roger Pettersen, said that the rescue operation was bordering on what was justifiable.
– We are trained to work in difficult and risky situations. So we just do it. The feeling of helping others overcomes my own fear, says Larsson.
This is how rescuers will work tonight
Findings of deceased
After several hours of searching, one of the dogs marked a possible discovery.
– Then we find a person who has unfortunately passed away. The person is transported out of the area by our teams and handed over to health personnel, says Tomas Norberg.
The person found Friday afternoon was the first to be confirmed dead after the landslide.
– It feels great to have helped find one of the missing. Although the person died, sadly, it is good that they found him, says Larsson.
Jurn and his colleagues rescued 13 people from the avalanche crater
Happy to contribute
The Swedish USAR team was told on Friday night that they could pack up and travel back to Sweden. On Saturday, a USAR team arrived from Trøndelag to help with subsequent searches.
The work in the avalanche pit has impressed Swedish rescuers.
– It has been demanding and tough, but we are also pleased to have been able to stand up and help. We’re happy to be asked and happy to contribute, says Norberg.
The entire crew sends their warmest thoughts to all those affected by the landslide.
