The death toll from the landslide in Norway rises as researchers advance

Photographer: Terje Bendiksby / AFP / Getty Images

The Norwegian rescue team has already recovered six bodies in a village hit by a landslide on Wednesday, not far from the country’s capital, with 4 people still missing.

The last two discoveries were made on Sunday in the wreckage of buildings in the same area as the previous findings, Goran Syversen, head of the fire operation, told reporters. Rescuers worked overnight and are still looking for survivors, he said.

The rapid clay landslide occurred about 20 kilometers north of Oslo and follows a month of record rain in the capital. About 1,000 people were evacuated from the area after the landslide devastated large parts of the village.

These landslides are known to occur in Norway and neighboring Sweden, when the rapid clay common to some parts of Scandinavia fills with rainwater and becomes liquid, according to the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. Several houses were taken to the sea due to a similar landslide in June. No one was injured in that event.