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On Saturday night, the police confirmed that Eirik Grønolen, 31, is one of the dead found after the landslide in Gjerdrum. Grønolen was found by search teams on Friday, January 1.
– It’s incredibly sad. Eirik was a dear and dedicated colleague and most of all a warm and kind person that we have now lost suddenly and too soon. We will miss him deeply, Simen Gundersen Kjus tells Dagbladet.
He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dunderverk company, where Grønolen was CEO.
– Our thoughts and our deepest condolences go out to those closest and family of Eirik, and to all others affected by this tragedy, Kjus continues.
These have died or disappeared after the landslide.
Grønolen founded Dunderverk together with a business partner in Lillestrøm in 2014. The company provided IT solutions for the business community, and the 31-year-old collaborated with sports profiles such as mountaineers Aksel Lund Svindal and Henrik Kristoffersen. He was also Chairman of the Board of the company Yoneda AS, which he runs together with Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud.
– An unreal tragedy
Grønolen grew up in Beitostølen in Øystre Slidre municipality, and the municipality keeps track of the 31-year-old relatives who live there.
– It is an unreal tragedy and a great disaster. You don’t think such things can happen. When a local community is so affected and we hear these stories, it makes a strong impression. With relatives here in the municipality, it is also close, says Mayor Odd Erik Holden (Sp) in the municipality of Øystre Slidre a Dagbladet.
– Ends in ethical dilemmas
It says that the municipality was informed that Grønolen had relatives in Øystre Slidre at an early stage.
– We created a crisis team on Wednesday. We have followed family members ever since and will continue to do so for as long as necessary, he says.
– We share our condolences with the family and everyone involved in this case, he adds.
Five lost
Three more were found dead on Saturday and a fifth person was confirmed dead on Sunday morning after the tragedy at Ask in Gjerdrum. Five people are still missing.
Fire Chief Kenneth Wangen in a fire department stated during a press conference at 9 o’clock that they have followed several places where dogs have marked in the avalanche area overnight, leading to the discovery of the deceased on Sunday morning.
New person confirmed dead
Search teams have been searching all night, and new teams arrived at 8am Sunday morning. Five USAR teams are now working in the area of landslides and are looking primarily at the construction masses.
It claims that they are using two sectors for exploration and that they will expand one sector further north into “another interesting area.”
Wangen claims that the search operation is still described as a rescue operation and that the search team has no plans to stop the search.
– This is still a rescue operation. It is important to emphasize, he says.
It states that colder temperatures make it drier and safer to enter the area. Civil defense also pumps water from a dam that seeps into the landslide where it is searched.
– Makes it drier and safer for us down there, he says.
The edge of the avalanche, which was previously almost completely vertical, has now become smoother, making it safer and more stable for the exploration team. Wangen, however, stresses that it remains a demanding and risky operation.
