FOUR TOURISTS FROM SWEDEN AND FINLAND have been reported missing amid fears they have been swept away by an avalanche in the Troms region of Norway.
The tour group is made up of three Finns and a Swedish person, who were reported to Troms police as missing at 15:00GMT yesterday afternoon.
The Northern Norwegian mountain range is hugely popular with skiers and hikers and major avalanches are a relatively uncommon occurrence in the area. A major avalanche is believed to have occurred yesterday morning, at a time when the missing persons were known to have been in the affected area.
Severe weather conditions today have meant that rescue workers have been unable to continue their efforts, although the search has not been called off and is expected to resume as soon as it is safe to do so.
In a press conference earlier this morning, the police chief of Troms Astrid Elizabeth Nilsen stated that “the snow mass is huge… there is a high risk of triggering a new avalanche in the area”.
Troms police also released a statement this morning to Reuters, stating simply that “police assume that the four were taken by the avalanche”.
Adam Oliver Smith – HT
Image: Lehtikuva
