‘No longer hope’ of finding survivors of massive landslide in Norway, police say
Officials on Tuesday said there was “no longer hope” of finding survivors of a historically large landslide that destroyed multiple buildings and killed at least seven people in a small Norwegian community last week.
The quick clay landslide on Dec. 30 forced about 1,000 people to evacuate the village of Ask, about 16 miles northeast of Oslo, as rescue crews scrambled to find additional victims while the land continued to move.
Three people were still missing Tuesday.
“It is with great sadness that I must say that we no longer have any hope of finding people alive after the landslide” local police chief Ida Melbo Oeystese told reporters.
“We have done everything in our power. But this natural disaster had significant forces. Those who died have died relatively quickly,” she said, adding that search crews would continue working to find the missing bodies.
The grim announcement came hours after a dog was found alive in the rubble, briefly raising hopes that more survivors could be rescued.
The deadly landslide created a mass of muddy earth that scarred the residential area and carried away at least nine buildings with about 30 apartments.
The exact cause of the incident is still unknown, but the village has a lot of quick clay, which can turn into liquid form when it’s disturbed.
An official with the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate described the disaster as Norway’s most destructive landslide in over a century.
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Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg issued her condolences to the victims in a tweet Tuesday.
“My thoughts go to those who have lost loved ones,” she wrote. “I want to thank the rescue crews who have done everything they can to save lives.”
The Ask village is home to about 5,000 people and is part of the Gjerdrum municipality.
With News Wire Services
