Friday, February 23, 2007

A major snowfall has disrupted transport in Norway this week. Several roads and all railway services have been reported as closed due to the heavy snowfall, and meteorologists have recommended that people try to stay at home if possible. Snow storms are also causing problems in other parts of Southern Scandinavia, such as Denmark and Southern Sweden.

In Norway, the E-18, the highway from Kristiansand and eastwards have been closed after several accidents, which according to the local police primarily was the result of truck drivers not having prepared for the heavy snow and getting stuck.

Several cars got stuck as a result of this, with some motorists being stuck from 3.30 pm Wednesday until Thursday morning. The local Red Cross cooperated with the police in getting food and gasoline out to the stuck drivers, and also evacuated a bus full of senior citizens who had been out on an excursion.

Regional bus and rail services have been canceled for most of Wednesday and Thursday from Kristiansand and eastwards, and in Kristiansand and nearby areas in the southern regions of Norway the heavy snowfall also made local traffic slow with major disruptions and delays.

According to the regional newspaper Fædrelandsvennen, it is expected that there will be about 100 cm more snowfall on Friday alone, with Wednesday and Thursday having resulted in 50 cm so far.