– We have contact with a person sitting in the car in question. The car is at rest in the river, but is partly under water, said operations manager Lars Meland shortly after the accident.
According to the task leader, it was a married couple in their 70s who came driving, when they suddenly drove straight into a 90-degree turn at Strømsli bridge in Bardu municipality.
The accident triggered an extensive rescue operation in Bardu where a rescue helicopter with divers also moved to the site.
– A rescue operation is underway to rescue the people, Meland said when they arrived at the scene.
– RESCUE ACTION: A car drove into the student in Bardu municipality and triggered a large rescue operation. Photo: Jon-Henrik Larsen
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#Bardu: two people are sitting in the car that is standing in the river. The car is partially filled with water. Efforts are being made to bring these ashore by rescue crews on site.
– Troms police district (@polititroms) November 28, 2020
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Fall ten meters
According to police, the car fell about ten meters from the road and into the river. The car went through the ice and the front was almost completely under water.
After a dramatic rescue operation, the police were able to state immediately after 6.30 pm that the couple had been rescued.
– Two people were rescued from the car and received treatment on the spot. Both people are flown to the University Hospital in northern Norway with an unknown extent of damage, said operations manager Meland.
The woman was unharmed, while the man’s condition is described as stable, reports NTB later Saturday night.
45 minutes in ice cold water
The task leader states that both are stable.
– The latest reports I have received from the air ambulance are that both are stable. They are, of course, refrigerated. They have been in water inside the car for 45 minutes, says task leader Arne-Markus Svendsen.
Both were conscious, and even managed to report the accident.
– But they could not get out on their own. We quickly got fire resources in place, and we saw that here we had to have divers because it is an icy river and a very gorge. It was an incredibly difficult and demanding rescue situation, says Svendsen.
The car was standing on a hill in the river and could have gone completely under if something had landed to one of the sides, the police believe.
– It is miraculous that it has gone well, and it is a very impressive rescue work that has been done, says the task leader.
The police reported the descent at 17.43.
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