Police evacuated a portion of the west coast city of Kristiansund and closed a nearby tunnel (Atlanterhavstunnelen) after an explosion in the Hagelin area late Tuesday night. The explosion followed the reported theft of dynamite in Surnadal, farther to the east, and three persons were under arrest.
Norwegian Broadcasting NRK) reported Wednesday that police believe more persons are involved in the theft of explosives and the blast, because witnesses reported seeing a car speeding away from the Hagelin area shortly after the explosion.
Details remained sketchy but Police Chief Arnstein Nilssen told NRK that they believe large quantities of explosives were stolen from a company in Surnadal, “therefore we’ve cordoned off an area with a radius of 250 meters.” Police officers were going door-to-door with evacuation orders Wednesday morning.
NRK also reported that the county road FV67 in Møre og Romsdal was closed through the Atlanterhavstunnel from the border between the municipalities of Kristiansund and Averøy because of a police operation outside the tunnel.
Police in Kristiansund had called in reinforcements and a bomb squad from Oslo to help weed out and deal with the explosives still believed to be located in a house on Balders Vei in the Hagelin area.
Local newspaper Tidens Krav reported that the three persons arrested are aged 21 to 34 and all are residents of the district with police records.
The area is located close to Kristiansund’s football stadium. A local school was ordered to keep its students indoors.
newsinenglish.no staff