Dam in Norway partially bursts after days of heavy rain, flooding and evacuations
By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A dam in southern Norway partially burst after days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous region and forced downstream communities to evacuate. Authorities initially considered blowing up part of the dam at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant on the Glåma, Norway’s longest and most voluminous river. The idea was to prevent downstream communities from being inundated by using a limited, controlled blast to release pressure on the dam. But a police spokesman said that proposal was scrapped after water later broke through the structure. Now officials are hopeful that they will see a gradual, even leveling of the water.
