It’s a terrible end of the year for these tourists. While they were planning to travel to Lapland, they experienced a real nightmare on their way through Norway. The bus that was carrying them plunged into a lake on Thursday, December 26, 2024.
“Everyone is affected by the news. Many of the bus’s passengers are foreigners,” says the statement from Nordland County Police.
Three people who were on this bus died in the accident. A dramatic outcome, but one that could have been much worse, as the bus was carrying a total of 58 people.
When the bus plunged into the lake, half of the vehicle was completely submerged. Many foreign tourists were on board, including several French people, according to local authorities.
In addition to Norwegians, travelers from all over the world were on board, including China, Singapore, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Sudan and of course France.
Bent Are Eilertsen, a police officer from Nordland county, explained that it was difficult to make a complete list of the bus’s passengers due to the many nationalities.
At the scene of the accident near Raftsundet, which separates the Lofoten and Vesterålen archipelagos, rescue workers were able to intervene at around 1:30 p.m., according to information relayed by Paris Match.
Thankfully, in addition to the three victims, the other passengers were rescued from the bus and then taken to a nearby school.
According to the police, there are several factors that can explain this tragic accident. The weather has not been very friendly in recent days. “The weather conditions in the area were bad, especially with strong gusts, which made rescue efforts difficult,” the police said.
The police’s priority now will be to take care of the injured people. An investigation is being launched to determine the exact circumstances of the drama. Hopefully the victims will soon be able to return to their home countries and forget this disastrous Christmas 2024.
