An incredibly powerful landslide in Norway has swept at least eight buildings into the sea, leaving substantial damage, prompting a dog rescue. One person was evacuated from a nearby property, but there are no injuries reported.
The buildings were mostly cabins for holiday homes, swept into the sea on Wednesday in Alta municipality in northern Norway. The landslide ran 2,133 feet along the shore and went nearly 500 feet inland, The New York Times reported.
According to Anders Bjordal, a Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate senior engineer who was part of the rescue mission, the landslide was the largest that the area has ever seen as a landslide has not happened in 50 or 60 years especially not one this size.
Powerful Landslide Caught on Camera
According to Forbes, the police got a report of the incident at 3:45 pm, and the rescue mission was immediately deployed by air and sea.
Jan Egil Bakkeby, a local who owns one of the cabins, managed to capture some of the events on camera. He scrambled out of the building upon hearing the landslide begin. He told Norwegian newspaper Altaposten that he had just made slices of bread when he heard a crack in the cabin.
"At first, I thought there was someone in the loft, but then I saw out of the window that the power cord was smoking," Bakkeby said.
He was able to film the landslide under his, and others' properties inched into the water and were soon submerged as he moved to higher ground. The video shows the power of the land movement, which made him ran for his life.
It is not immediately clear what caused the landslide, but Mr. Bjordal said that it is unlikely caused by human activity.
Rescue Operation
Involved in the rescue mission were the local police force, the fire and ambulance services, helicopter rescue, the Red Cross, and the Coast Guard immediately conducted rescue operations. Bakkeby and one other person who was in the area emerged safely from the disaster.
According to officials, they used a dog to do the rescue mission, but it was swept away when the land began to slip and was carried to the sea. Luckily, the dog was able to swim to the shore and was rescued by the helicopter while it was checking for people in the area.
Rescue operations were called off by 7 pm with everyone accounted for, and the police are now verifying the information that no one is left in the area.
Closed to the Public
Several smaller landslides have occurred hours before the main incident, according to local media reports. Currently, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) is monitoring the risk of possible landslides.
Bjordal warned that there is likely to be an ongoing movement for a couple of days. But the area will remain closed to the public until authorities deem it safe. The buildings will stay stuck in the area until officials make plans to excavate them.
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