| Date | 26 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Austvågøya |
| Coordinates | 68°28′08″N 15°10′09″E / 68.46889°N 15.16917°E / 68.46889; 15.16917 |
| Type | Bus accident |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 4 |
On 26 December 2024, a bus crash occurred on Austvågøya in Hadsel Municipality in Vesterålen when a local bus from Boreal Norge carrying 58 people left European route E10 after the Raftsund Bridge and partially plunged into an icy body of water called Åsvatnet, near Raftsundet. Three people were killed.
The bus was carrying passengers from eight different countries.
Accident
At 09:45, the bus departed from Narvik, with a planned arrival at Å in Lofoten at 17:25. Then at 12:44, according to the timetable, the bus should have arrived at the Hanøy crossing, near the scene of the accident. Between 13:00 and 14:00, the weather conditions in the area became challenging, with an average wind speed of 20.6 m/s and gusts up to 28.8 m/s. By 13:30, the bus left the road at the exit to Hanøya and ended up partly in Åsvatnet.
At 14:10, deaths were reported, and five minutes later, the first emergency services arrived at the scene of the accident after approximately 45 minutes. Before their arrival, witnesses at the scene performed first aid and tried to rescue the passengers from the bus. At 16:00, the police confirmed that three people had died, four were seriously injured and that the passengers came from at least 8 different nations. At 22:45, Nordlands hospital ended the disaster alert that was announced earlier in the day.
Aftermath
On 27 December 2024, the bus was pulled from the water. The police stated that identification of the deceased is ongoing. Two of the dead were adult women, while the third was a child aged 10–12. Communications manager at Boreal Norge AS Jon Kristian Fadnes stated that the company is cooperating with the police and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in the investigation. He emphasized that the incident affects the entire organisation, and that their focus is to follow up the driver and other employees.
References
- Buset, Simen Barstad; Løkkevik, Ole; Lægland, Martin; Opsahl, Per; Bø, Emma; Ali, Intisaar; Olsen, Preben Sørensen; Hopperstad, Morten S.; Flydal, Eiliv Frich (26 December 2024). "Bussulykke i Hadsel - flere omkommet". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- Karlsen, Alexander Kjønsø (26 December 2024). "Alvorlig trafikkulykke på E10: – Mange involverte". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- "Buss involvert i alvorlig trafikkulykke i Hadsel: – Tre omkomne og fire alvorlig skadde". Nettavisen. 26 December 2024.
- Karlsen, Alexander Kjønsø (26 December 2024). "Alvorlig trafikkulykke på E10: – Mange involverte". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Alvorlig bussulykke i Hadsel – åpner Melbu kirke". Vårt Land (in Norwegian). 26 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Øvrebø, Emma Fondenes; Larsen (foto), Annemor; Espevik, Hanna; Sviggum, Silje Kathrine; Løkkevik, Ole; Solheim, Eric Kjerstad (27 December 2024). "Reagerte på farten før Hadsel-ulykken: Dette har skjedd". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- "Alvorlig bussulykke i Hadsel – åpner Melbu kirke". Vårt Land (in Norwegian). 26 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Marlene Lundberg Holm, Siri Åbø Wiersen, Eivin Kristensen Vangsnes, Linn-Christin Marthinussen, Emma Victoria Hegnar (26 December 2024). "Alvorlig ulykke: Flere bekreftet døde". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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