‘A catastrophe’: 15 missing and 10 injured in Norway after landslide sweeps away dozens of houses

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Prime minister Erna Solberg told reporters that the incident was “a catastrophe” after she visited the site, adding: “There could be people trapped… but at the same time we can’t be sure because it is the New Year’s holiday, which means people could be elsewhere.” She said rescue operations could take a long time, and described the situation as “so unstable that it is impossible to do any effort other than from helicopters”. The force said in a statement about those missing: “We don’t know if these people are in the landslide area, if they are away on holiday or in another way unable to contact police.” The local municipality warned that up to 1,500 people may need to leave the area amid fears over the condition of the ground. A spokesperson for Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Laila Hoivik, told AFP that the landslide was a “quick clay slide” that measured about 300m by 700m, and was the “largest landslide in recent times” in the country.