Norwegian bus with Singapore tourists plunges into lake, killing 3

At least three people were killed when a bus carrying Singaporean tourists veered off the road and partially submerged in a lake in Norway.

The accident happened on Thursday (Dec 26) at around 1.30pm local time, Norwegian news outlet NRK reported.

The bus had been travelling from the town of Narvik to the Lofoten archipelago, which is a popular winter destination to watch the northern lights.

Most of the 58 passengers on board at the time of the crash were foreign nationals, including from Singapore, China, India and Malaysia.

Three people were taken to a hospital by rescue helicopter, while other passengers have been taken to a nearby school. Four people were reportedly seriously injured.

An eyewitness named Yngvar Gustavsen, who was among the first at the scene of the accident, described the "demanding conditions" while on the road. 

"We drove behind the bus in the same direction and let it passed us. After that we were about 200 meters behind the it," he said. 

Gustavsen later saw the bus had crashed into the frozen Asvatnet lake. 

"Seeing a large vehicle and knowing there were people inside was the worst thing I could imagine," he said, adding that he saw children screaming and injured passengers. 

Strong winds complicated rescue ops

The Norwegian Red Cross said on X that they were on their way to assist in a "serious bus accident" on the E10 road.

The police told Norwegian news outlets that strong winds in the area had complicated rescue operations.

"The priority now is to treat the injured and an investigation will be launched to clarify what transpired," said Nordland police officer Bent Are Eilertsen.

He added that it was challenging to contact relatives due to the lack of a complete list of passengers and the number of nationalities involved, AFP reported.

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Facebook that his thoughts were with everyone affected by the accident.

AsiaOne has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com