Norway landslide: At least 10 injured and several missing after mud slip destroys homes near Oslo

 

At least ten people have been injured after an overnight landslide smashed into a residential area near the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

Police were alerted on Wednesday morning to the slip in the village of Ask, in the municipality of Gjerdrum, where several homes had been destroyed.

One seriously injured person was flown to Ullevål, four were transported to Ahus by ambulance, and five others were treated locally.

Around 200 people have also been evacuated from the area amid fears of further landslides.

Twelve people remained unaccounted in the early evening, police said. Helicopters and drones with thermal optics have been deployed to search for survivors with the rescue efforts expected to continue through the night.

"The landslide is still in motion, and it is therefore not justifiable for rescue crews to move on the ground," the police also said their early evening bulletin. They added that a further three houses had fallen in the afternoon and that they did "not rule out that more houses that are on the edge of the rapid will follow."

Earlier, police spokesman Roger Pettersen told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that there were no initial reports of missing persons, but officials could not rule out that some residents may have been inside the collapsed buildings.

The scene after a landslide occurred in a residential area in Ask, near Oslo, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020Credit: AP

 ome 40 ambulances were also sent to the scene, but the authorities say the recuse effort is "demanding" as it is only possible to access the landslide area by helicopter.

"Several homes have been taken by the landslide," Norway's police stated on Twitter, urging citizens to avoid the evacuated area.

"Emergency services, with assistance from the civil defense and the defense, are in the process of evacuating [and] work is still being done to get an overview of the area."

Norway's Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness teams say they are monitoring the situation closely.

"It hurts to see how the forces of nature have ravaged Gjerdrum," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg tweeted.

"My thoughts go to all those affected by the landslide. Now it is important that the emergency services get their job done."

 

Det er vondt å se hvordan naturkreftene har herjet i Gjerdrum. Mine tanker går til alle som er rammet av jordskredet. Nå er det viktig at nødetatene får gjort jobben sin.

— Erna Solberg (@erna_solberg) December 30, 2020

 

 The area around the village of Ask is known for so-called quick clay, and landslides have previously been reported in the region.

 

Source:  Euronews