Norway hit by its worst storm in 30 years

(Copenhagen) Residents of central Norway were greeted by scenes of desolation and woke up to homes without power on Thursday, following the country’s most powerful storm in more than three decades years.

Hurricane-force winds hit parts of the Scandinavian country, with gusts reaching 180 kilometers per hour. Near Laerdal, a small, picturesque town northeast of Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, a bus carrying 14 passengers was thrown off the road, but no injuries were reported, police said.

Some areas were flooded and airlines and ferry operators temporarily suspended services. Schools, roads, tunnels and bridges were closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Hurricane-force gusts were also reported overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in Sweden. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has issued a red alert for the western part of the Norrbottens district, which borders Norway.

The storm, named Ingunn by Norwegian meteorologists, hit central Norway on Wednesday afternoon before moving north on Thursday. The Meteorological Institute had issued a red alert, its highest alert level, for the Arctic region.

Several windows of a hotel in Bodoe, a large town in the Nordland district, were blown out, according to police. Bodoe town center was then cordoned off due to “danger to life and health”, according to police. Northern Norway University Hospital said parts had come loose from its rooftop antenna in Harstad, and Norwegian media showed photos of a helicopter landing pad littered with debris.

Troendelag region police spokesperson Bjørnar Gaasvik told Norwegian news agency NTB that the public safety agency had received between 40 and 50 reports of people affected by the storm overnight. and that others were expected on Thursday.

Sigmund Clementz of insurance company IF told Norwegian newspaper VG that it was too early to estimate the cost of the storm damage.

In southern Denmark, the Storebaelt Bridge, which connects two large Danish islands, was closed to vehicles with light trailers due to strong winds.

The storm hit the same area as the 1992 New Year’s hurricane, one of the strongest storms in Norwegian history, writes the VG newspaper.