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A cave party with up to 200 participants at St. Hanshaugen in Oslo on Sunday night ended dramatically. More than 20 people are hospitalized, probably with carbon monoxide poisoning, after portable units were used inside the mountain facility.
The only entrance and exit to the party was about once a meter.
– It may appear that the bunker was broken and that it was accessible that way. It should not be openly available to the public, says police inspector Emil Lorch-Falch in the Oslo police district.
NRK has spoken with one of the party participants at the event, which was previously called “Rave Cave” on social media. The woman in her 20s is now in hospital, where she is receiving oxygen.
– We read in the newspapers that a chief doctor called it a collective suicide attempt. It’s totally sick to think about. It could have gone terribly wrong. We could all pass out and be permanently injured. Many of those who were there are good friends of mine.
Up to 200 people may have passed the illegal party in St. Hanshaugen on Sunday night. 23 people are hospitalized after the party.
– Suddenly the power went out
The party is said to have started around 11 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The woman says the party had lasted about four hours without any problems, before the situation suddenly changed dramatically.
– It happened very quickly, says the woman.
The entrance to the bunker has been sealed by the police, who will now investigate the fact.
Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB scanpix
– It was a lot of fun for many hours and everything seemed to go well. Suddenly the power went out and the lights and music went out.
The woman says there was a separate room in the bunker, where the units were. The room could be closed with a metal door, the woman says.
– Then there was someone who had broken into that room. As we entered his house, the gas hit us in the middle of the face. We get very dizzy, but we see that there are three children there unconscious, says the woman.
The bunker is approximately 70 meters deep and has E-shaped passages.
Photo: Private
Sealed with garbage bags and duct tape.
NRK has also spoken with a man who participated in manipulating the party.
– It was for people who wanted to socialize in slightly larger crowds than usual. It’s taboo now, with the koroana, but we told everyone with symptoms that it wasn’t appropriate to show up.
The man, who has also been hospitalized after the party, says he was involved in transporting the main unit to the party. This was inside a separate room.
The entrance to the room was lined with garbage bags and duct tape, to keep exhaust gases away from the area where the other partygoers were.
During the night, however, some party participants must have entered this room, say several party participants.
– How wise was this, in hindsight?
– It was easy to be wise afterwards. If none of the participants had opened the sealed door, the event would have been a technical success.
The man also claims that the room was ventilated. Police or firefighters are not aware of this, according to VG.
Empty goods outside the bunker entrance at St. Hanshaugen in Oslo.
Photo: Jil Yngland / NTB scanpix
– The most important thing was to get them out
The woman says that she and some other party participants tried to shake the unconscious children and “slap” them in the face, getting no response.
– Then we feel that we are very dizzy and we faint. We try to get them out, but we have to run because we are passing out. Then we run again and try to pull them some more. Then more people come and help, says the woman.
– It was very scary, but the most important thing was to remove them, because we did not know how long they had been in there, says the participant of the party.
According to the police, seven people were taken unconscious to the hospital after attending the party. Four of them are now described as seriously injured, but all are now out of harm’s way.
– It turned out that it was probably poisoning because it was in the power supply in the bunker, says police inspector Lorch-Falch.
Seven people were found unconscious outside the St. Hanshaugen cave in Oslo when police arrived at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday.
Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB scanpix
– made a strong impression
The woman says they managed to get the lifeless party participants out of the cave. The operations center in the Oslo police district says they arrived at the scene around 03:46 on Sunday night.
– There were quite a few who were transported on a stretcher and by ambulance. They also took me in an ambulance with an oxygen mask, says the woman.
– It made a strong impression to drag the lifeless children across the floor when you yourself fainted. It’s something I think about a lot when I lie down here and feel good about the conditions, says the woman.
Both VG and NRK have spoken with people who informed the police about the party in advance, because the infection control concerns could be addressed.
– We are aware that there must have been a warning before the event, but what that warning consisted of and how it was evaluated is something we must investigate, says Police Inspector Lorch-Falch.
TV 2 and Dagbladet have also spoken to a man who says he called the police and notified about the party around one thirty last night. The police inspector says he is not aware of this.
– Lethal dose measured multiple times
The woman says it was impossible to stay inside the bunker for more than half an hour without fainting. The fire service has measured the oxygen level in the cave at 16 percent, which can be very dangerous combined with a high Co₂ level.
– When firefighters were on their way, we expected to find several dozen unconscious people within the mountain facility. We should be able to say that based on the potential for risk, we are surprised that this has not gone much worse.
– Our carbon monoxide measuring devices resulted in several times the lethal dose in the worst locations within this mountain facility, says Lars Magne Hovtun, chief of staff for the Oslo fire and rescue service.
Closed with concrete
The bunker is an old place of alarm, where the Civil Defense could meet in a crisis situation. In 2012, responsibility for the bunker was returned to the owner, Stiftelsen Diakonissehuset Lovisenberg.
The man who helped organize the party did not criticize himself for the way the party was organized.
– People were good and those who needed help got it.
– It wasn’t a scary or hysterical experience. Those who were unconscious were taken out. They all took care of each other, says the man.
Until a couple of years ago, the entrance to the bunker was blocked with double reinforced concrete. However, a few years ago the entrance was reopened, because the owner wanted to see if it could be used as a garage.
After this, the entrance has been covered with earth and closed with a wooden plank, according to various media. The cave must not have had approved emergency exits. Lovisenberg Deaconess House Foundation director Vidar Haukeland told NRK that the wooden plank was at least in place on Thursday.
The emergency services of the municipality of Oslo warn individuals against the illegal closure of party facilities, because there is a risk of exposing themselves and others to a danger of death.
– Even though it was a private facility, we are now sending a message that closed municipal facilities must be screened for security, says emergency manager Ann Kristin Brunborg.
The woman NRK has spoken to encourages others to think hard before joining something similar.
– I don’t think anyone would have come to this party and participated if they had realized how serious the consequences could be.
More than 20 people were sent to the hospital after the cave party.
