– A terrible sight – news Nordland

– We were greeted by a loud braking sound and a bang. There was a lot of rock and scrub flying through the air, so it was not easy to see what it was. When we got our bearings we realized that it was actually the train. That’s what Karl Henry Haugli and Wenche Halvorsen say. The cohabiting couple live in Finneidfjord, a village in Hemnes municipality in Nordland. On Thursday afternoon, they got into the car to take the six-minute short drive south along the E6 to the shop at Bjerka. Suddenly, rocks, scrub and a train came straight at them. They ended up in the middle of what turned out to be a fatal accident when a passenger train on its way from Trondheim to Bodø derailed from the Nordlandsbanen down towards the E6. The cause is a rock slide. – It was a terrible sight. What should one think? You go straight into shock, but I realized that I just had to throw myself into the back to get the car away, says Haugli. The train partially derailed on Thursday afternoon. One person has been confirmed dead. Photo: Thomas Sætveit Jensen/TV Klipp Strong impact The police confirmed the same day that the train driver died in the accident. Four people were taken to hospital, but none of them were critically injured. Halvorsen threw himself on the phone to the emergency services, while his roommate reversed the car. – It looked very serious. I had to keep calm and give the emergency services the right messages. Deep down I hoped it was a freight train, but when I discovered it was a passenger train I thought this had gone horribly wrong, she says. The couple meets news near the accident site on Friday morning. They are still strongly affected by the incident. – When I went to bed and closed my eyes last night, the train came towards me. It is dramatic, says Haugli. There has been a guard at the site throughout the night. The E6 is closed until further notice as a result of the accident, and it is uncertain when the road can reopen. E6 closed until further notice – Norway split in two Wenche Halvorsen describes an immediate silence after the accident took place. – It was so strange, so quiet. I heard nothing, she describes. Finneidfjord and Bjerka are two small places, just south of Mo i Rana in Hemnes municipality. Just meters away from the train tracks where the train derailed, traffic along the E6 usually flows past. As of Thursday, it is quieter there than usual. With the E6 closed, Norway is currently divided in two. For motorists who have to go north or south, detour options via the Kystriksveien or Sweden can be used. Mayor of Hemnes Paul Asphaug. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / news Mayor of Hemnes Paul Asphaug (Sp) had to drive through Sweden on his way home from work yesterday: 27 miles, instead of 15 kilometers. – The country is cut in two, and there are many people who should have had the E6 as their work route today. There will be a lot of home offices, and some will probably have to cancel agreed plans. He says the accident affects the municipality, which has previously been investigated for dangerous landslides. – There are quite a few houses that would not be allowed to be built today where they were built in their time due to quicksand and the possibility of rock falls. The Accident Investigation Board is at the scene of the accident and will start work together with crime technicians from the Nordland police district. Published 25/10/2024, at 10.32 Updated 25/10/2024, at 12.19



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