Copenhagen, Aug. 10, (dpa/GNA) – Emergency services were struggling to get a handle on the extreme flooding battering southern Norway on Thursday as helicopter rescues continued.
There have been hundreds of reports of storm-related damage and 125 roads were closed, including many main arteries, officials said.
The police asked motorists to respect the closures and avoid driving in flooded or landslide-hit areas.
The railway operator Bane NOR was forced to close several lines due to hazards on the tracks and said it would take some time before train traffic could return to normal.
A 170-metre-long railway bridge in the municipality of Ringebu was severely damaged and at risk of collapse. However, according to Norwegian media reports, the situation at the bridge had appeared to stabilize on Thursday.
The floods were caused by heavy rain brought by the storm system dubbed Hans, which first hit Sweden this week and shortly afterwards Norway.
Numerous rivers burst their banks, while several thousand people had to be brought to safety. The flooding also caused major damage to a hydroelectric power plant about 120 kilometres north-east of Oslo.
Flood waters were expected to continue rising in many places in the coming hours.
GNA