Major Landslide Destroys 8 Homes In Northern Norway

A powerful landslide of more than 2,000 feet in width has taken eight houses into the sea in northern Norway. The instability continued for several hours and one person was evacuated from a nearby property, but there have been no reports of injuries.

Incredibly powerful landslide caught on camera

The landslide of more than 2,000 feet wide and 500 feet high occurred on the western side of Kråkneset in Alta municipality on Wednesday afternoon. The police were notified of the incident at 3.45pm and a rescue operation was immediately launched by air and sea.

A local managed to capture some of the event on camera. The video, featured in Altaposten, shows the sheer power of the land movement. One local described how he heard a bang in the loft of his cabin and assumed someone was in the building. “I ran for my life,” he said, once the situation became clear.

Rescue operation over

Although police were unable to enter the area by land due to ongoing instability, the rescue operation was called off at 7pm with everyone accounted for. Police are now verifying the information received to confirm that no-one is left in the area.

Many of the buildings are holiday homes, which would have likely been fully occupied during the public holiday just 48 hours beforehand.

On-duty commander Sten-Rune Nikolaisen from the Main Rescue Centre reported to NRK that the Sea King helicopter returned to base just before 7pm. “They have searched visually and using camera equipment. No discoveries have been made,” said Nikolaisen.

Land remains highly unstable

According to local media reports, several smaller landslides occurred in the hours following the main incident. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) is monitoring the situation, in particular the risk of more landslides.

NVE district engineer Anders Bjordal warned that there is likely to be ongoing movement for a couple of days.