The landslide struck a residential area in the municipality of Gjerdrum, some 30 km (19 miles) north of the capital Oslo. Photos of the site showed a large crater with destroyed buildings at the bottom of it. Helicopters hovered over the area, at times lowering emergency responders towards the debris of collapsed houses, TV footage showed. The area remains unstable for now and can only be accessed by helicopter, said Roger Pettersen, head of the police operation at the site. Southern Norway has seen large amounts of precipitation in recent days, which may have caused the clay soil prevalent in the area to shift, broadcaster NRK said.

Source: bd News24 December 30, 2020 13:30 UTC