Rescue norwegian found a seventh body in the rubble on Sunday, four days after a landslide northeast of Oslo, police said, who are still actively searching for three missing.
“The hope of finding survivors in the landslide area is still there. It is therefore still a rescue operation until it is decided otherwise ”police official Bjørn Christian Willersrud said at an early evening press conference.
The lifeless body was found near the others, he said, without giving details of his identity.
Residents have placed candles near the site of the disaster. Among the seven bodies found, three have been identified, that of a 31-year-old man, Eirik Grønolen, found on January 1, a 54-year-old woman, Lisbeth Neraas and a 40-year-old man, Bjørn-Ivar. Grymyr Jansen, both found on January 2.
Police released a list on Friday with the names of ten missing people, two children aged 2 and 13 and eight adults.
The earth subsided early on December 30 in Ask, in the municipality of Gjerdrum, 25 km northeast of Oslo, dragging with it ten houses and 31 dwellings, and causing the evacuation of a thousand of people.
At the start of the operation early Wednesday, the emergency services had been able to save several people by hoisting them.
The support of the princely couple
The emergency services, which received a visit from the royal couple and the crown prince at midday, are also working to recover pets.
After meeting the rescue teams, King Harald, Queen Sonja and Prince Haakon gathered in the church in Gjerdrum, where they lit candles for the victims, before chatting with survivors. “I have trouble finding things to say, because it’s absolutely horrible”, said the sovereign, visibly very touched, at the end of the visit.
The earth that has slipped is a specific clay, present in Norway and Sweden, which can fluidize and collapse quickly. But the probability of a similar landslide in the region remains low, estimates the Norwegian Directorate of Water and Energy (NVE).
On his recommendation, the authorities decided to reduce the evacuation zone, allowing several people to return to their homes.
On site, we can see a gaping hole, on the hillside, with debris of houses partially covered with snow that fell since the disaster.
Most of the evacuees, staying in nearby hotels, cannot return home because the terrain remains unstable. It crumbled again during the night from Friday to Saturday.
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