– What we know is that there is settlement damage in several places in the building. The damage was discovered in the morning hours today, says municipal director Connie Pettersen in Alstahaug municipality to news. Thus, a decision was made to send everyone out of the building. The pupils have had outside school for a few hours, but will be sent home earlier than normal. The municipal management is now working furiously to get an overview of the extent of the damage. – We don’t know the extent yet. It can be a minor thing, but it can also be very serious. We have to clarify that. That is why we have initially sent the students out of the building so that professionals can examine the damage, Pettersen continues. It was the local newspaper Helgelands Blad that first wrote about the case. On the night of Wednesday, an earthquake occurred in Meløy municipality, north of Sandnessjøen. The earthquake had a strength of 4, and several people reported that it both shook and rumbled well in houses and walls in the seconds it was going on. Since 1980, there have been five earthquakes recorded in this area with a magnitude above 3.5, of which Wednesday’s quake was the strongest, Norsar told news. – Do you think the injuries may be related to the earthquake? – It is reasonable to believe that there may be a connection, but we do not know yet, Pettersen continues. The school building will remain empty on Thursday and Friday for the first time. A new assessment will then be made as soon as professionals have seen the damage. – We must bring in professionals with construction and geotechnical expertise to investigate, and we must bring that in externally. We are now making arrangements with professionals to get them into the school on Friday.
ttn-69
Children’s school in Sandnessjøen in Nordland evacuated – fear of damage after earthquake – news Nordland
