– There is hope – VG

At 18.34, the number of people not counted has dropped from 15 to 12, following the landslide at Gjerdrum in Romerike in Viken County. This is stated by the police chief Roger Pettersen in an interview with TV 2 at 18.35.

26 people were first reported missing in the avalanche.

-We still keep open the possibility that more people have evacuated, have not contacted the police, or are in the red zone where we are looking, he says.

He emphasizes that the rescue team is looking for survivors, not the dead.

– There is hope, he says.

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Looking for more in the dark

– It’s dark and as you can hear, the effort is still underway, says task leader Roger Pettersen over the sound of Sea King helicopters still searching for those who have not been accounted for in the landslide situation. .

– Darkness has come and presents us with challenges. We will illuminate the place with light sources where possible, but there will be a limitation, says Pettersen.

They deploy the rescue crews just before 5:00 p.m., so that the rested crews deploy before nightfall.

The police have deployed additional investigative resources to get an overview of the people. Pettersen said early Wednesday that 14 addresses, with a different number of apartments, are affected.

So far, it has been confirmed that ten people were injured. According to the person in charge of the task, one of them was sent to the Ullevål hospital with serious injuries.

700 people have been affected or evacuated in connection with the landslide, but the task leader emphasizes that the number is constantly changing.

– The weather is still bad, it makes it difficult and demanding. But so far there are no findings. We have not confirmed the death so far, nor have I received any further confirmation that more have been injured, Pettersen says.

– We are in a phase where we are looking for survivors, not dead.

Read also: The Gjerdrum landslide: we know it

Working conditions are demanding: for safety reasons, it is not possible for ground personnel to enter the core of the landslide area. Therefore, evacuation and rescue work in this area must be carried out by Sea King helicopters.

– These are extremely demanding decisions to be made: Implement or not implement rescue work. We are considering whether we can take further action in the area, says Pettersen.

At 4:40 pm, he claims that three more houses have fallen into the red zone.

– We cannot ignore that several houses will suffer the same fate, since they are buildings located on the edge of the avalanche in an area where the edge is very high.

The dark presents several challenges, he acknowledges. Therefore, they will illuminate the place with light sources as much as possible.

Among the evacuees are residents and employees of the Gjerdrum nursing home life and treatment center.

– Everyone is doing well. We have also evacuated from some apartments in the vicinity, which is going well, says head of health tasks Hans Christian Jørgensen.

The fire department on living clay: – A fine soup

Fire Chief Ingvar Andersen says they have conducted a rough search:

– This means that we do not have complete control over all the basement floors and rooms found in the houses around the edge of the avalanche. We go from house to house, we open doors, we get people out, and those who cannot walk are picked up in quadricycles or cars, he says.

Andersen adds that they have had to retreat, because the edge of the avalanche eats inwards and it is important that they are not too close.

When asked what the plan is for the 26 that have not been counted, he responds:

– It will take some time, but we think you have to get something out of the air, or wait until it is clear that you can go there. Going into the landslide now, a light soup, goes wrong. As it gets colder it becomes stiffer, but that is not the case now.

NVE: Danger of more houses being taken over

The regional manager of the Eastern Region at NVE, Toril Hofshagen, describes the landslide as the largest rapid clay landslide in recent times – 300 times 700 meters.

– There are still projectiles in the avalanche pits, and we don’t have full control over how far it will go before it stops, he says.

Throughout the morning and into the morning, NVE has conducted ongoing evaluations of the police and emergency services regarding evacuation and rescue efforts.

– There is a danger that more houses will be taken. The landslide still continues, emphasizes the regional manager.

It is too early to say anything about the causal connection, but NVE has installed a drilling rig in the area and will begin investigations as soon as justifiable.

– The causal connection will likely be the subject of careful investigation. It can be caused by nature, but there can also be other causes. We have to get back to that, says Hofshagen.

When asked if it would be possible to bring crews to the innermost areas today, she responds:

– It is a very large area that we are talking about. In some areas it is advisable, in others not. Then they must save themselves from the air.

The earth turned liquid

The danger of multiple landslides makes search and rescue difficult. Researcher Louise Vick from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Tromsø tells VG that it may take time before crews can descend into the landslide area.

– They will probably wait for the weather to stabilize and will also look for signs of future instability in the ground. You can see that a landslide is about to be caused by water coming from the ground or that there is less landslide along the edge of the wound.

She explains that the researchers are probably now taking soil samples from different depths to analyze what type of soil it is. That way, they can begin the work of finding the cause of the landslide.

– Based on that, they will find out what other areas are at risk. Often when these races occur, the races will also move up streams, so what may start out as a small landslide can be a major event, says Vick.

According to the researcher, fast clay is a rather unique Scandinavian problem. It was formed by sediments that were left behind by glaciers thousands of years ago and exposed to the air, and they turn liquid under pressure.

– Now they’re probably looking for what made the camp float. There can be a lot of precipitation, snowmelt, or human intervention, for example, because too much weight was placed on the ground, he explains.

Waiting for the ready signal

Among those waiting for the area to stabilize are Norwegian rescue dog volunteers.

It was 05 o’clock when the alarm went off with them. It was the police who called and asked the organization’s experienced volunteers for help.

– So it was just to move as quickly as possible, says the emergency manager at Norwegian rescue dogs Stig Mebust to VG.

They pushed the button and the alarm sounded to 100 people. It is not long before there are 32 dogs with guides in Gjerdrum.

– We have four emergency teams near the search area. They are trained to search for collapsed buildings and areas of landslides. Plus, we have 28 search teams that are ready a little further, Mebust says.

However, after 3pm, the patrols must withdraw. Most of the 32 patrols go home.

– Dog patrols have been sent home, two emergency teams remain. It’s just too dangerous to go inside, says the organization’s emergency manager Stig Mebust.

They also have a Norwegian Rescue Dog Operational Leader who will be on site throughout the night.

– There will be people here as long as it is necessary. We want a leader here who can push the button if we can get in. Everyone is ready and knows what’s going on, so we’ll be out again soon if need be, says Mebust.

Meanwhile, most of the work is done from the air.

In addition to the Sea-King, Bell-412 and the latest SAR-Queen rescue helicopters, the Air Force has contributed an Orion surveillance aircraft.

– The aircraft is stationed at Andøya and is tasked with conducting maritime surveillance and search. He has flown and been primarily involved in search and rescue. It has a sensor capability that fits well with the assignment that is when the situation is confusing, Air Force Lt. Col. Stine Barclay Gaasland tells VG.

It was the Defense Forum that first mentioned the Orion aircraft.

– The aircraft has been used mainly in searches based on its sensor capacity. We don’t know how long it will last, but we have many other capabilities that are also used. The two Bell 412 planes we have sent from Rygge are used for search and rescue and personnel transport, says Barclay Gaasland.