 "Three people died and four are seriously injured after a bus went off the road and ended up partially submerged in a Norwegian lake near the Raftsundet strait on Thursday. AFP")
At least 3 people were killed and 4 others were injured after a bus carrying several foreign tourists went off the road and partially submerged in a lake near the Raftsundet strait in Norway. The strait separates the Lofoten archipelago from the Norwegian mainland. The authorities noted that some Indians were on the bus as well, however, it is unclear whether any of them were killed or injured.
“Many of the passengers on the bus were foreign nationals,” police said, adding that 58 people were impacted by the accident. The police noted that the passengers came from eight countries: France, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and South Sudan.
It is pertinent to note that the Lofoten Archipelago is a popular tourist destination during the winter because of the northern lights.
Police investigate the matter.
While addressing local reporters, police said that some of the evacuated passengers were brought to a local school while three were transferred to a nearby hospital using a helicopter, AFP reported. “The weather conditions in the region are bad, complicating rescue operations,” local police said in a statement.
“The priority now is to treat the injured and an investigation will be launched to clarify what transpired,” Norwegian news agency NTB cited Nordland police officer Bent Are Eilertsen as saying. He noted that it was proven difficult to contact relatives of the passengers, due to lack of a complete list of passengers and the number of nationalities.
Strong wind gusts have led to treacherous conditions in the area. The matter is currently being investigated by the Norwegian authorities.
With inputs from AFP.