Police have cordoned off a beach at Jæren, Rogaland County, after a man out walking found 21 old land mines stemming from World War II. The mines were spread over an area estimated to be around 300 square meters in size.
Johan Ølberg, who often strolls along Sele Beach neary Hellestø in Jæren, spotted some of the mines Wednesday afternoon. He told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that he warned others out walking about the mines until police arrived.
Ølberg, a longtime resident of the area, has run into mines before. He told NRK that after the war, authorities cleared a mine field at Sele and the mines were dumped near the shoreline where they were to be detonated. Before that job was completed, however, a storm set in that scattered the mines over a large area. Storms like the one that hit Southern Norway this past week have also dug up or otherwise exposed mines buried in the rocky shore.
Police arriving at the scene took photos of all the mines and called in defense forces to examine and dispose of them. The beach was to remain closed until land mine experts arrive on Thursday.
newsinenglish.no staff
