Rescuers have recovered three bodies from the remains of a landslide in the Norwegian village of Ask and are still searching for seven missing people, officials said on Saturday.
The landslide, which is said to be the worst in the country’s history, happened on Wednesday, destroying several buildings and forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate.
Search teams patrolled the residential area on Saturday where the landslide hit dogs, helicopters and drones that can detect body heat under the snow.
“From a medical point of view, you can survive for a few days if you have air,” police chief Ida Melbo Oeystese told reporters at a news conference.
Officials had not identified the three bodies since Saturday afternoon. The first was discovered on Friday and two were recovered on Saturday.
The limited hours of the day and the unstable terrain at the rescue site caused rescue efforts.
The exact cause of the landslide has not been announced, but authorities expect excessive rain in recent weeks to have contributed.
“Not since 1893 has there been a rapid landslide of this size in Norway,” Toril Hofshagen, the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate, said on Saturday.