– This is a bit for her too, he says moved as the bridge lights up in the darkness behind him. The green northern lights sparkle above the night sky. The pointed mountains form dark outlines. It is midnight, and the villagers have lined up on the breakwater in Sifjord and watched the fireworks before the lights on the bridge are lit for the first time. For many years there has been work on race-proofing their roads. The last project was to get the road away from the mountain Stortinden, where rocks erupt constantly, all year round. This bridge ensures that you don’t have to drive under Stortinden, where rockfalls often occur. Photo: Roy Alapnes – I think the bridge was so beautiful when it arrived, that it struck me that we should do something extra with it. I think it will mean a lot to many people, says Kristiansen. The local business community took to the idea, and equipment worth over NOK 700,000 was purchased. Now the bridge will change colors depending on the occasion. But for his little girl, the breed protection on Senja came too late. She was killed in a rock slide in Sifjordura, just four years old. Taken by a rock slide – I hope no one has to experience something similar, says Geir Kristiansen. Four-year-old Camilla was killed by a rock slide, just a few weeks before the tunnel through the mountain was completed in 1993. Photo: Private photo He remembers the horrific day well. 14 February 1993 was both Sunday and Mother’s Day. In the morning, Camilla was eager to join in as he prepared breakfast in bed for her mother. Later it was the grandmothers who were to be celebrated, first grandmother in Tranøybotn, then grandmother in Sifjord. It was around six thirty in the afternoon when they got into the car to drive the few kilometers over the mountain from Sifjord and home to Medby. Geir lifted the four-year-old up in his arms. It was mild weather and dark outside. – I took her shoes in my hand, carried her to the car and put her in the child seat. Then we drove. “In memory of Camilla Kristiansen, 4 years old, who lost her life in a rock slide in Sifjordura on 14 February 1993. You will not be forgotten.” Photo: Linda Pedersen / news After only a couple of minutes in the car, it happened. Something violently slammed into the car, before it was thrown sideways and landed on the side of the road. Several stones thundered down the mountainside. Geir and his wife duck down behind the dashboard as best they can. Then it’s over. Geir turns and looks in the back seat. Camilla sits with her head bent forward. The girl has got the upper hand. She is unconscious and badly injured. At the nursing home in Sifjord a few minutes later, she dies. There is nothing anyone can do. Sifjord on Senja is located in an area with many steep mountains and the risk of both rockfalls and avalanches. Seconds to do This was the last winter before the Sifjord Tunnel was completed. The tunnel was the first major project to make life safer for the people of Søndre Torsken. The rockfall lasted only a few months before it was put into use. Below the tunnel opening in Sifjord, a stone has been erected with a few words about Camilla. The family plants flowers here every year. – Time heals the wounds and it gets easier over time, but it never goes away. I remember Camilla as a fun-loving and very cheerful young person who was looking forward to becoming a big sister. I think of her every time I drive past there. – Can you imagine Camilla watching the fireworks and the bridge lighting up? – Yes I do. This is a bit for her too, says Geir Kristiansen, moved. At midnight on Saturday, the lighting of the bridge was celebrated with fireworks. Photo: Jan Morten Bjornbakk Many near misses For people who live in what used to be Torsken municipality, it has been important to have the roads crash-proofed. That is why they chose at the time to move away from the idea of an internal road through the municipality, and instead focus on race protection. In recent years, several hundreds of millions of kroner have been spent on rebuilding roads and making them safer. The cod pack is called it. The fact that you no longer need to drive under Stortinden means a lot for both the citizens and the business world. Because there have been many near misses here. Every winter offers challenges on the outside of Senja. Roads must still be closed due to landslides or the risk of landslides. Photo: Arild Moe / news Roy Alapnes from Sifjord is manager at Flakstadvåg Laks. For years, he has commuted daily through several landslide-prone stretches. The company also has a lot of lorry traffic to and from. Roy Alapnes is the business manager on the outside of Senja. Photo: Arild Moe / news That Stortinden is now ticked off is a good thing. – It has been a source of anxiety for those who travel there, because rocks keep falling out. You sit with your gaze up the mountainside, and many times stones have fallen just seconds before a car has passed, he says. There are still sections that annually affect the company in Flakstadvåg. – Improvements are still needed at both Kaperskaret and Kvænan, he points out.
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Lost her daughter in a rock slide on Senja – now the bridge shines in memory of her – news Troms and Finnmark
