A bus in northern Norway with around 60 people on board was involved in a serious accident and fell into Lake Åsvatnet.

At least three deaths and four serious injuries have already been confirmed.

The alarm was raised at 2.02pm local time and rescuers from all over northern Norway converged on the scene, on the E10 in the municipality of Hadsel .

"The weather conditions on site are very bad. Rescue helicopters from Bod and Troms have been dispatched to the scene, as well as other emergency services," Jan Eskil Severinsen of the Norwegian Rescue Coordination Centre told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

According to the reconstruction, the bus went off the road, perhaps because of the icy road .

According to Norwegian media, there were citizens of at least eight different nationalities on board , coming not only from Norway itself, but also from India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Netherlands, France and South Sudan. At least 20 Chinese citizens, the Beijing embassy in Oslo reported. The Italian embassy is also following the developments of the case, in contact with the Farnesina and with an honorary consul in Svolvaer, to ensure that no Italians are involved.

This is not the first time that a similar accident has occurred in the region , near Lofoten, a popular tourist destination due to its natural beauty . In 2023, a tourist bus with 38 people on board capsized, resulting in 14 injuries.

(Unioneonline/vl)