Tragedy struck as Norwegian bus plunges into icy lake
At least three people have died, and four others have been seriously injured in a bus accident in northwestern Norway. The bus, likely carrying 58 passengers, veered off the road and slid down a slope into Lake Asvatnet.
The accident occurred about 200 kilometres west of Narvik on the E10 road. The regular bus, believed to have been carrying 58 people, suddenly swerved off the road, crashed through barriers and slid down the slope into the lake.
Part of the bus ended up underwater. When rescuers quickly arrived at the scene, they had difficulty reaching the people inside.
At least three people have died
Reports confirm at least three fatalities. Four people have been severely injured according to the latest reports. Three of these were airlifted to hospital by helicopter.
The remaining rescued passengers were transported to a nearby school, where they were offered temporary shelter.
According to Norwegian media reports, the vehicle that went off the road was on a regular bus route running from Narvik to the Lofoten archipelago. Bent Are Eilertsen, the local police chief, informed Norwegian media that the bus was carrying citizens of eight countries.
According to police, there were 20 Chinese citizens on board the bus. The accident also involved passengers from Singapore, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Sudan, France and Norway. There is no information that any Polish citizens were among the passengers.
The police are appealing to those who were on the bus or anyone who may know someone who was on it to report this information to them. Since it was a regular bus route, there is no passenger list. Therefore, it's possible that there were more than 58 passengers.
The bus remains partially submerged. Emergency services will only attempt to retrieve it at night, provided the weather does not interfere. A strong storm is passing over northern Norway. In the next 12 hours, up to 50 centimetres of snow may fall in the region where the accident occurred. Meteorological services have warned for winds that may reach speeds of up to 100 km/h in gusts.
Rescue services and police are still on the scene, trying to determine the causes of the accident. It is already known that a snowstorm limited visibility during the disaster, the road was covered in ice, and wind gusts reached up to 100 km/h.
Source: dagbladet.no, nrk.no, PAP
