Rescue workers are still searching for three people who remain unaccounted for after a landslide swallowed homes in the Norwegian town of Ask.
Rescue teams have been working day and night in difficult conditions in the hope of finding survivors
Norwegian rescue teams discovered a seventh body on Sunday, four days after a landslide buried several homes in a small village near the capital, Oslo.
A police statement announced that the body had been found at about 5.30 p.m. local time. A sixth body had been recovered just before 1 p.m.
Rescue teams again worked through the night in the village of Ask, where a landslide swallowed homes on Wednesday. Three people are still believed to be missing.
"We are working hard in the depression created by the landslide," the head of the rescue operation, Goran Syversen, told journalists.
"We have five teams working at the same time. They are doing very difficult work which is not without risk. Nevertheless, we are making good progress."
During the winter months Norway has a limited number of daylight hours which has furthered hampered rescue efforts
A fifth body was discovered earlier on Sunday. Police uncovered three bodies on Saturday and one on Friday.
The first deceased person found on Friday has been identified as a 31-year-old man, while the identities of the other victims have not been released.
Search teams have been hindered by unstable ground, poor weather conditions and a limited number of daylight hours.
As such, they have resorted to the use of heat-sensitive drones, helicopters and rescue dogs.
Authorities say the chances of a second landslide are relatively low.
Norway's second-biggest earthfall
On Wednesday morning, a torrent of mud buried parts of the Ask village, 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of the capital Oslo.
At least 10 people were injured, one of which had to be transported to Oslo for treatment.
Norway's King Harald V and his family visited the village on Sunday to pay their respects. "I'm having trouble finding something to say, because it's absolutely horrible," the king said after the visit.
"This terrible event impacts us all. I sympathize with you who are beginning the new year with sadness and uncertainty," he added in a televised statement.
Prime Minister Erna Solberg called it one of the biggest landslides in the country's history.
Experts explained that the disaster was caused by a "quick clay slide" measuring around 800 by 300 meters (2624 by 984 feet).
There had been warnings of potential accidents due to the clay since 2005.
More than 1,000 people from the 5,000 living in the village were evacuated and authorities said that up to 1,500 may have to be relocated.
nm,ab/mm (dpa, AFP, LUSA)
Issued on: 03/01/2021 -
Rescue workers have uncovered a sixth body from a landslide that buried homes in a village near Norway's capital Oslo, police said Sunday, with four people still missing.
The body was recovered just before 1 pm (1200 GMT), a police statement said. Rescue teams still hope to find survivors four days after the tragedy occurred.
A torrent of mud shifted houses hundreds of metres (yards), destroying many of them, in the village of Ask, 25 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of Oslo, on Wednesday.
The head of the rescue operation, Goran Syversen, told journalists earlier Sunday: "We are working hard in the depression created by the landslide.
"We have five teams working at the same time. They are doing very difficult work which is not without risk. Nevertheless, we are making good progress."
Search and rescue teams have been using sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones in a bid to find survivors.
"We are searching where we believe we might still find survivors," said the head of the team of firefighters, Kenneth Wangen, adding that the search zone had been expanded.
The teams, who are also seeking to rescue family pets, were digging channels in the ground to evacuate casualties.
Police said earlier that a fifth body had been found just before 6 am on Sunday. Three were discovered on Friday and one on Saturday.
The first person found on Friday was identified as 31-year-old Eirik Gronolen, while the identities of the four other dead have not been released.
But police have published the names of all 10 people, including a two-year-old and a 13-year-old, who went missing on Wednesday.
Ten people were also injured in the landslide, including one seriously who was transferred to Oslo for treatment.
About 1,000 people of the town's population of 5,000 have been evacuated, because of fears for the safety of their homes as the land continues to move.
"It is a completely surreal and terrible situation," one of the evacuees, Olav Gjerdingen, told AFP, adding that his family were sheltering at a hotel.
Royal visit
The rescuers received a visit Sunday from King Harald, his wife Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon, who lit candles for the victims in a local church.
"I'm having trouble finding something to say, because it's absolutely horrible," the king said after the visit.
"This terrible event impacts us all. I sympathise with you who are beginning the new year with sadness and uncertainty," he said in a televised statement.
The authorities have banned all aircraft from the disaster area until 3 pm Monday as they conduct aerial searches.
The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) said the disaster was a "quick clay slide" of approximately 300 by 800 metres (yards).
Quick clay is a sort of clay found in Norway and Sweden that can collapse and turn to fluid when overstressed.
(AFP)
DEC 30, 2020
Fifth body found in Norway mudslide, five still missing
Issued on: 03/01/2021 -
Oslo (AFP)
Rescue workers have uncovered a fifth body four days after a landslide buried homes near Norway's capital, police said Sunday, as the search goes on for five people still missing.
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of metres under a torrent of mud at the village of Ask, 25 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of Oslo.
"Just before six am a deceased person was found," a police statement said.
The discovery of a fourth body had been made Saturday after three were recovered the day before at the bleak, snow-covered scene at Ask, in Gjerdrum municipality.
Police on Saturday identified the body of the first person found on Friday as 31-year-old Eirik Grønolen.
The identities of the four other dead have not been released.
But police on Friday published a list of the names of all the eight adults, a two-year-old and a 13-year-old child who went missing on Wednesday.
Ten people were also injured in the landslide, including one seriously who was transferred to Oslo for treatment.
About a thousand people have been evacuated out of a local population of 5,000, because of fears for the safety of their homes as the land continues to move.
Search and rescue teams have been using sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones in a bid to find survivors.
The search teams were also digging channels in the ground to evacuate casualties.
Experts say the disaster was a "quick clay slide" of approximately 300 by 800 metres (yards).
Quick clay is found in Norway and Sweden and notorious for collapsing after turning to fluid when overstressed.
The royal court said in a statement that King Harald, his wife Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon were to visit the disaster area later Sunday morning.
© 2021 AFP
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