Rescuers recovered three bodies from the remains of a landslide in the Norwegian village of Ask, and are still looking for seven missing people, officials said on Saturday.
The landslide, considered the worst in the country’s history, took place on Wednesday, destroying several buildings and forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate.
On Saturday, search teams patrolled the residential area where the landslide hit dogs, helicopters and drones that can detect body heat under snow.
“From a medical point of view, you can survive for several days if you have air,” Police Chief Ida Melbo Oeystese told reporters at a news conference.
Authorities did not identify the three bodies until Saturday afternoon. The first was discovered on Friday and two were recovered on Saturday.
Limited summer time and unstable soil at the rescue site have challenged rescue efforts.
The exact cause of the landslide has not been announced, but officials believe that too much rain in recent weeks may have contributed.
“Since 1893 there has been no rapid mudslide of this size in Norway,” the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate, Toril Hofshagen, told the media on Saturday.