Western and Northern Norway were being battered once again on Friday by storms that closed roads, cancelled ferries and resulted in several accidents. Mountain roads in Southern Norway were also subject to closure or posted as having hazardous driving conditions.
Stong winds blew over a bus carrying 40 teenagers that had slid off the E6 highway just north of Nordreisa in Troms County, Northern Norway. Police said it was blowing so hard that the bus driver couldn’t manage to keep the bus on the road. The bus was full of young handball players from Alta who were on their way to a tournament in Tromsø. There were no injuries.
Stormy weather prompted cancellation of all school bus routes in Lofoten. All ferry traffic between Lofoten and Bodø was also cancelled. Many roads and bridges were closed in Finnmark, including the coastal highway between Vardø and Vadsø, the road to the North Cape and roads north to Mehamn, Berlevåg and Båtsfjord.
Hazardous driving warnings were up on all mountain roads in southern Norway because of snow and ice. Motorists were only allowed to drive in escorted convoys on the State Highway 13 over Vikafjellet. It was also snowing in Oslo for the first time since well before Christmas.
newsinenglish.no staff
