Missing people presumed dead after Norway landslide, police chief says

Rescue workers interrupt the search in the ruins, following the large landslide that destroyed several buildings, after an alarm was triggered in the area, in Ask, Gjerdrum, Norway January 5, 2021. NTB/Terje Pedersen via REUTERS

Norwegian rescue workers gave up hope on Tuesday of finding more survivors from a Dec. 30 landslide that swept away a dozen buildings but vowed to continue the search for three people who are still missing.

Seven men, women and children have so far been found dead after a landslide struck a residential area in the municipality of Gjerdrum, some 30 km (19 miles) north of the capital, Oslo.

"While we no longer have hope of finding survivors, we're not ending the search," police chief Ida Melbo Oeystese told a news conference.

The rescue work continues following the large landslide that destroyed several buildings in Ask, Gjerdrum, Norway January 5, 2021. NTB/Terje Pedersen via REUTERS

Police and other rescue workers used dogs, drones and helicopters, including heat-seeking equipment, to search for survivors in the debris.

The landslide and the rescue effort have gripped the Nordic nation of 5.4 million, but with temperatures well below freezing, the hope of finding anyone alive had rapidly faded.

Rescue workers interrupt the search in the ruins, following the large landslide that destroyed several buildings, after an alarm was triggered in the area, in Ask, Gjerdrum, Norway January 5, 2021. NTB/Terje Pedersen via REUTERS

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Bernadette Baum)