S'poreans in deadly Norway bus crash sustained 'minor injuries', are getting assistance: MFA

The Singaporeans involved in a Norwegian bus crash that left three dead and four injured on Dec. 26 "sustained minor injuries", shared a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Dec. 28.

In response to queries from Mothership, MFA added that it has been rendering consular assistance and support via the Honorary Consul-General (HCG) in Oslo, and are in contact with the local authorities.

It is unknown exactly how many Singaporeans were onboard the bus.

A total of 58 passengers, comprising tourists from China, France, Malaysia, India, the Netherlands, Norway, South Sudan and Singaporeans, were onboard when the accident happened at approximately 1:30pm (local time).

The bus had been travelling from Norway to the Lofoten archipelago — a popular tourist spot to catch the aurora borealis — when it slid off the E10 highway in stormy weather and ended up partially submerged in the Åsvatnet lake near the Rafsundet Strait.

Difficult for officials to identify those involved

Identifying those involved and contacting their relatives has been a challenging task for local police as the bus that had departed did not have a list of passengers, reported local media.

According to local police, three passengers were air-flown to a hospital, while others were brought to a local school, reported media outlet Deutsche Welle. 

Norwegian news agency NTB quoted Nordland police officer Bent Are Eilertsen saying:

"The priority now is to treat the injured, and an investigation will be launched to clarify what transpired."

Top image from MFA/Facebook and @realzaidzayn/X