Three people died on Thursday, December 26, and four others were injured in the accident of a coach which ended up in a lake on the northern coast of Norway, Nordland county police announced in a press release. specifying that “many passengers on the coach are foreign nationals”. A total of 58 people suffered this accident.
The coach, half submerged, was carrying passengers from at least eight different countries: China, Singapore, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Sudan, France and Norway. 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.
“The police operational center was alerted shortly after 1:30 p.m.” local time, regarding a bus that ran off the road in Hadsel, details the police in their press release. Rescue services and police were dispatched to the scene, near the Raftsundet Strait, separating the Lofoten and Vesteralen archipelagos, and all passengers on the bus were evacuated, some to a nearby school.
Bad weather conditions
“Weather conditions in the region are poor, complicating rescue operations”the police said. Strong gusts are underway in the region. The Norwegian Meteorological Institute also warned of storms, avalanches and landslides in the area.
A volunteer humanitarian boat from Redningsselskapet, carrying caregivers, announced on X that it was on its way to the island of Hanoya, without succeeding in reaching the scene of the accident for this reason. Three people were taken by helicopter to Stokmarknes hospital, according to Bent Are Eilertsen. “The priority now is to treat the injured, and an investigation will also be launched to clarify the course of events”he told the NTB agency.
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 – with a record in August – according to official statistics, an increase also driven by the end of health restrictions in 2022 and by a slack in Scandinavian currencies.
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