Watch as Norway floodwaters carry away homes, campers and crush them against bridge
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute had issued a Red Danger Warning in advance of Storm Hans due to the high risk of rain and flooding and said the storm could be among the worst to hit parts of the country in the past 25 years.
Watch: Rushing floodwaters crush homes, campers against bridge in Norway
A storm that pounded Norway led to major flooding and landslides this week, and videos from the area show rushing floodwaters crushing campers and homes against a bridge as they were being swept downstream.
HEMSEDAL, Norway – A powerful storm that has slammed Norway this week led to numerous reports of flooding and landslides this week. Videos from the region showed homes being swept away and destroyed by raging rivers that overflowed their banks.
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute had issued a Red Danger Warning in advance of Storm Hans due to the high risk of rain and flooding. Forecasters had warned that the storm would be among the strongest to hit parts of the country in the past 25 years.
The agency also warned that areas north of the country’s capital city of Oslo could see 3-4 inches of rain in one day.
An image showing a home as it approached a bridge after being swept downstream by raging floodwaters during a powerful storm in Norway.
(Stian Heid/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)
Videos shared by Stian Heid showed a camper and mobile home being swept downstream by raging floodwaters and crashing into a bridge in the mountain village of Hemsedal, about 125 miles northeast of Oslo.
People standing on the riverbank and on the bridge could only look on in horror as the structures crashed into the bridge and were ripped apart by the force of the surging water.
![TOPSHOT - This aerial view taken on August 9, 2023 shows the camping site in Dokka flooded after the Dokka River overflowed its banks. Heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in Sweden and Norway on August 8 while strong winds caused a Danish wildfire to spread out of control, authorities said, with more heavy rain forecast. A storm dubbed "Hans" swept in over the Nordic countries over the weekend, leaving a path of destruction. Norway police reported several landslides in the southeast, with media reporting that over 100 people had been evacuated as a result.]()
Image 1 of 6TOPSHOT - This aerial view taken on August 9, 2023 shows the camping site in Dokka flooded after the Dokka River overflowed its banks. Heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in Sweden and Norway on August 8 while strong winds caused a Danish wildfire to spread out of control, authorities said, with more heavy rain forecast. A storm dubbed "Hans" swept in over the Nordic countries over the weekend, leaving a path of destruction. Norway police reported several landslides in the southeast, with media reporting that over 100 people had been evacuated as a result. (Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB / AFP)
![A landslide has destroyed houses in Valdres, Nord Aurdal, near Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag.]()
Image 2 of 6A landslide has destroyed houses in Valdres, Nord Aurdal, near Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag. (Cornelius Poppe / NTB / AFP)
![A residential area has been hit by a landslide in Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag.]()
Image 3 of 6A residential area has been hit by a landslide in Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag. (Cornelius Poppe / NTB / AFP)
![A landslide is seen on a slope behind a house in Valdres, Nord Aurdal, near Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag.]()
Image 4 of 6A landslide is seen on a slope behind a house in Valdres, Nord Aurdal, near Bagn, Norway on August 8, 2023, as extreme weather 'Hans' has hit eastern Norway. The Meteorological Institute has issued a red warning for very heavy rain, floods and landslides in Viken north of Oslo, Innlandet and parts of Trøndelag. (Cornelius Poppe / NTB / AFP)
![A photo shows the Storelva river flowing through Hoenefoss, Norway on August 9, 2023. Norwegian authorities said on August 9 thousands had been evacuated following massive floods and that they were considering blowing open a dam after the floodgates failed to open. Norway's armed forces said they had been asked to assist police at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power station, which lies along the Glomma river -- the longest in Norway -- to evaluate whether the gates would need to be blasted open.]()
Image 5 of 6A photo shows the Storelva river flowing through Hoenefoss, Norway on August 9, 2023. Norwegian authorities said on August 9 thousands had been evacuated following massive floods and that they were considering blowing open a dam after the floodgates failed to open. Norway's armed forces said they had been asked to assist police at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power station, which lies along the Glomma river -- the longest in Norway -- to evaluate whether the gates would need to be blasted open. (Annika Byrde / NTB / AFP)
![Water flows after the dam burst at the Braskereidfoss Power plant, Norway with water flowing into the Glomma river after floodgates did not open properly, on August 9, 2023. Norwegian authorities said on August 9 thousands had been evacuated following massive floods and that they were considering blowing open a dam after the floodgates failed to open.]()
Image 6 of 6Water flows after the dam burst at the Braskereidfoss Power plant, Norway with water flowing into the Glomma river after floodgates did not open properly, on August 9, 2023. Norwegian authorities said on August 9 thousands had been evacuated following massive floods and that they were considering blowing open a dam after the floodgates failed to open. (Cornelius Poppe / NTB / AFP)
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) reported that the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant on the Glåma River in eastern Norway stopped working early Wednesday morning due to an error, and when that occurred, floodgates that were set to open automatically to release water failed to open.
Thousands of people living near the dam were forced to evacuate, and officials were mulling the idea of using explosives to blow the floodgates open. They decided against that, but the dam later failed and sent water rushing downstream.
Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre provided an update on Facebook and said several people lost their homes and important infrastructure was damaged as a result of the storm.
"The forces of nature are so strong that we are going to see more destruction and continue to face difficult situations ahead," he said in the translated Facebook post.
He said the government was doing what it could to provide help needed to devastated communities.
"In Norway, we are there for each other when needed," he said. "No one should stand alone in this difficult situation."