“Everyone is affected by the news.” Three people died in the accident of a bus carrying 58 people which ended up in a lake on the northern coast of Norway. “Many passengers on the bus are foreign nationals,” Nordland County police said in a statement.
When the vehicle fell, it found itself half submerged in the lake in question. French nationals are among the foreign passengers on board the coach, according to local authorities. Other people from China, Singapore, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Sudan, and Norway were also there at the time of the accident. “It is difficult to contact relatives, due to the lack of an exhaustive list of passengers and the many nationalities present,” said Bent Are Eilertsen, Nordland county police officer, quoted by the NTB agency.
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Rescue services and police were dispatched to the scene around 1:30 p.m., near the Raftsundet Strait, separating the Lofoten and Vesterålen archipelagos. Once picked up, all passengers on the coach were evacuated, some to a nearby school.
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An investigation will be carried out
On Thursday, the “weather conditions in the region” were bad, including strong gusts, “complicating rescue operations,” police said.
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute also warned of storms, avalanches and landslides in the area. Three people were still able to be transported by helicopter to Stokmarknes hospital.
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“The priority now is to treat the injured, and an investigation will also be launched to clarify the course of events,” said a police officer.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, quoted by Norwegian media, expressed support for those involved in the accident. “I think everyone in Norway is affected by the news coming from Hadsel. This is a very serious accident and many people are involved. There are deaths and serious injuries. The first thing to do is to support them” in this tragedy, he said.
Every year, Norway welcomes many tourists who come to observe its fjords, its midnight sun and its northern lights.
In 2023, the number of overnight stays by foreigners increased by 22% in Norway according to official statistics, an increase also driven by the end of health restrictions in 2022 and by a weakening of Scandinavian currencies.
