A 15-year-old girl who was riding in a car in Norway’s mountainous county of Sogn og Fjordane was killed Friday when a huge boulder suddenly broke loose from the steep mountainside and crashed down on the car. The driver of the car, a BMW, escaped with only minor injuries.
Police said the dramatic, freak accident occurred on state highway 55 at Årøy, just outside the Årøy Tunnel entrance. The boulder was estimated to weigh 1.5 tons and hit the car with great impact, hurtling it into the mountainside. The teenage victim was from the nearby town of Luster.
Large portions of Norway have suffered an unusual amount of avalanches and rock slides this winter but the portion of highway where the accident occurred wasn’t considered to be particularly prone to slides.
A geologist from the state highway department examined the area after the accident and the stretch of highway was reopened to traffic later on Friday afternoon.
newsinenglish.no staff
