Ten people have been wounded and 26 are missing after a landslide in southern Norway, police said.
One of the victims was critically injured and more than a dozen buildings were swept away early on Wednesday in the municipality of Gjerdrum, about 19 miles north of Oslo.
The missing people were from homes in Ask village, the centre of the landslide, but police said it was not clear if they had been trapped in their houses, were away at the time or managed to escape.
A number of people are missing
Photos taken by a rescue helicopter showed a large crater above destroyed buildings.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told broadcaster TV2 it should have been a New Year’s weekend with “peace and quiet”.
“And maybe we should have worried most about COVID-19… not whether we have missing persons from a landslide,” he said.
Several buildings were damaged in the landslide
Around 500 people have been evacuated, Gjerdrum mayor Anders Oestensen told local media.
Police said the area remains unstable for now and can only be accessed by helicopter.