Saturday. 09.11.2024

Norwegian police say there is "no longer any hope" of finding any survivors at the scene of last week's landslide in southern Norway, meaning the incident has claimed 10 lives. Three of the victims are still missing.

Among the dead are a 2-year-old girl and her father. The bodies of the seven victims who have been found have already been identified.

"There is no longer any hope of finding people alive," regional police chief  Ida Melbo Oystede told reporters.

The operation would shift into a new phase, aimed at finding the three missing bodies, she added.

The search and rescue operation had been halted after a landslip at the scene. Geologists were investigating when it was safe to re-enter the site.

Dog found

A dog found alive on Monday evening in an air pocket in a ruined house had fuelled hopes of finding human survivors.

"It gives us hope of finding more survivors," Roy Alkvist, head of the police operation, told reporters.

The landslide hit early on December 30 in the community of Ask, about 40 kilometres north-east of Oslo. It left 10 people injured and destroyed nine houses. About 1,000 people were evacuated to safety.

Drones equipped with heat-seeking cameras have been deployed during the search. Military experts and geologists have also helped the operation.

'No longer any hope' of finding survivors in Norway landslide