Image: Terje Bendiksby / AFP

Police in northern Norway on Monday announced the names of three Finns and one Swede who died under an avalanche on 2 January. They also released photos of the three Finnish men, with permission from their families.

The Finnish victims were Mikael Sten (29), Niklas Nyman (36) and André Stenfors (32). The Swedish victim was Disa Bäckström, 29. The Finns were from Swedish-speaking areas of Ostrobothnia, on the west coast.

Story continues after photo

Image: Politiet.no / Yle Uutisgrafiikka

The four have been missing since last Wednesday, when there was a large avalanche close to the summit of Blåbærfjellet mountain, a 1442m peak in the Tamok valley.

On Friday, a helicopter detected signals from two transmitters under the avalanche. Rescuers saw ski tracks heading into, but not back out of the avalanche area.

Search efforts have been hampered by difficult, windy weather and avalanche risk, which continued on Monday.</s>Four tourists from Sweden and Finland are still missing, a day after they were feared to have been swept away by an avalanche in Arctic Norway, police have said.

The avalanche occurred on Wednesday in the northern Norwegian region of Troms. Three Finns and a Swede were skiing in the area and were reported to police as missing at around 1500 GMT, police said.

Weather conditions did not allow rescue crew to continue their work on Thursday, although the searches were not called off.

“The snow mass is huge. There is a high risk of triggering a new avalanche ... and there is a small storm in the area,” Troms police chief Astrid Elisabeth Nilsen told a news conference.

Ski tracks were spotted going into the avalanche but not coming out.

“Police assume that the four were taken by the avalanche,” Troms police said in a statement earlier on Thursday.</s>Weather stops rescuers from continuing search for tourists from Sweden and FinlandFour tourists from Sweden and Finland are still missing, a day after they were feared to have been swept away by an avalanche in Arctic Norway, police have said.The avalanche occurred on Wednesday in the northern Norwegian region of Troms. Three Finns and a Swede were skiing in the area and were reported to police as missing at around 1500 GMT, police said.Weather conditions did not allow rescue crew to continue their work on Thursday, although the searches were not called off.Ski tracks were spotted going into the avalanche but not coming out."Police assume that the four were taken by the avalanche," Troms police said in a statement earlier on Thursday.Source: Reuters</s>COPENHAGEN — Norwegian officials say four people from Sweden and Finland are missing after an avalanche in northern Norway but strong winds, heavy snowfall and poor visibility are hampering rescue efforts.

A woman from Sweden and three men from Finland were last heard from on Wednesday afternoon. A search-and-rescue operation was launched after a 300-meter (990-foot) wide avalanche was reported in the Tamok valley, near the northern city of Tromsoe, where the party had gone skiing.

Police spokesman Morten Pettersen says "there was little chance to get a helicopter into the area." He told a news conference Thursday in Tromsoe that "we cannot take that risk."

Baard Rannestad of the University Hospital of North Norway told reporters at the news conference that the skiers' "chances to survive diminish with every passing minute."</s>COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian officials say four people from Sweden and Finland are missing after an avalanche in northern Norway but strong winds, heavy snowfall and poor visibility are hampering rescue efforts. A woman…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian officials say four people from Sweden and Finland are missing after an avalanche in northern Norway but strong winds, heavy snowfall and poor visibility are hampering rescue efforts.

A woman from Sweden and three men from Finland were last heard from on Wednesday afternoon. A search-and-rescue operation was launched after a 300-meter (990-foot) wide avalanche was reported in the Tamok valley, near the northern city of Tromsoe, where the party had gone skiing.

Police spokesman Morten Pettersen says “there was little chance to get a helicopter into the area.” He told a news conference Thursday in Tromsoe that “we cannot take that risk.”

Baard Rannestad of the University Hospital of North Norway told reporters at the news conference that the skiers’ “chances to survive diminish with every passing minute.”

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>A major avalanche has been observed in the area of Blåbærfjellet in Troms where four persons are missing. The police fear they are buried in it.

“It is 300 metres wide and estimated at 500–600 metres in length. We do not know for sure, but we fear that the four are buried in the avalanche. They should have returned a long time ago,” Effort Leader in the police, John-Kåre Granheim, tells NRK.

The rescue crews will have an assessment meeting at 9 pm to determine how they will continue the search operation.

“The avalanche is at the peak of the mountain and therefore high up. If we send in crews or not, depends on how easy the helicopter can access the spot. Avalanche danger and weather conditions hinder us,” Operations Manager in the Troms Police District, Morten Augensen, tells NTB.

“We fear that the missing persons have been buried by the avalanche, but we hope that that is not the case,” he adds.

Due to the avalanche danger, ground crews are not deployed in the search at Blåbærfjellet in Tamokdalen.

“The Red Cross, Norwegian People’s Aid and Norwegian Rescue Dogs are present in the area,” Troms Police District informs.

The area is located in Inner Troms, where there was considerable avalanche risk on Wednesday, according to the hazard warning from Varsom.no.

The missing persons are a Swedish woman and three Finnish men, the police tell the Swedish news agency TT. They had been on a top tour in the area.

“We have at present between 30 and 50 personnel working flat out in the area. There will be crews on duty on a continuous basis,” Augensen informs NTB at 7.45 pm on Wednesday.

The search is concentrated around the areas where there have been several avalanches. A Sea King helicopter continues with further searches in the area throughout the evening, the police state. An ambulance helicopter from the University Hospital of Northern Norway also assists, and transports rescue crews to the area.

“The conditions are dangerous in the mountain. There is a large danger of avalanches and a shitload of snow,“ Augesen explains.

There are reportedly no cabins in the mountain area that the missing hikers may have sought shelter in.

The four were last observed around 2 pm. After a few hours, the fifth person in the hiking group became worried – and notified the police.</s>A group of four Swedes are missing on Blåbærfjellet (Blueberry Mountain) in Troms. It has been several smaller avalanches in the area recently.

It is uncertain whether the group is buried by an avalanche.

The Swedish hiking group was last observed around 2 pm. After a few hours, a fifth member of the group became worried and notified the police.

“He reports that it is dark in the mountain and that there have been several smaller avalanches in the area,” Operations Manager in the Troms Police District, Morten Augensen, tells NTB.

The hiking group consists of four persons from Sweden who have returned from a top tour to Blåbærtinden (the peak).

The police and ambulance helicopters are on their way to the area. Volunteer rescue teams are notified, Troms Police District Tweets just before 5 pm on Wednesday.

“We hope that everything is well with them, but want to check out the area to be on the safe side,” Augesen informs.

Blåbærfjellet is located in Inner Troms, where there is considerable avalanche risk on Wednesday, according to Varsom.no.</s>Jammu: An Indian soldier was killed and another injured in an avalanche in the forward area of Jammu and Kashmir`s Poonch district on Thursday.

Police sources said the avalanche hit an Army post around 4 a.m. along the Line of Control (LoC).

"Two soldiers were trapped under the avalanche. A rescue operation was immediately started and both were taken out of the debris.

"One of the soldiers identified as Lance Naik Sapan Mehra has succumbed to his injuries while the other has been shifted to a hospital for treatment," an official said.</s>A soldier was killed and another injured in an avalanche in the forward area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday.

“Two soldiers were trapped under the avalanche. A rescue operation was immediately started and both were taken out of the debris.

“One of the soldiers identified as Lance Naik Sapan Mehra has succumbed to his injuries while the other has been shifted to a hospital for treatment,” an official told IANS.

In one of the worst tragedies in Siachen, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and nine other jawans of Madras Regiment were buried after their post was hit by an avalanche in February 2016 at an altitude of 19,600 feet close to the Line of Control (LoC).

Lance Naik Hanaman Thappa, who was buried under 25 feet of snow, was miraculously found alive in a critical condition after six days of rescue efforts.
Four skiers—three Finnish men and a Swedish woman—are killed in an avalanche near the Blåbærfjellet mountain in Troms, Norway.