Norway’s Prime Minister Building Bombed

BBC
July 22, 2011

A large bomb blast has hit government buildings in the Norwegian capital Oslo, killing at least two people and injuring 15 others.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose offices were badly damaged, described the situation as “very serious”.

Officials said some people were still inside the damaged buildings, some of which were on fire.

No-one has said they were behind the attack.

Television footage from the scene showed rubble and glass from shattered windows in the streets – smoke was rising from some buildings where fires were burning. The wreckage of at least one car was on one street.

All roads into the city centre have been closed, said national broadcaster NRK, and security officials evacuated people from the area, fearing another blast.

Mr Stoltenberg said all government ministers were believed to be safe, Reuters reports.

He said he had been advised by police not to reveal his current location.

Egil Vrekke, Assistant Chief Constable of Oslo police told the BBC: “The latest information we have is that there has been a heavy explosion, quite near the government buildings in Oslo this afternoon and there was extensive damage to the buildings.”

“And we can confirm that people are dead and injured,” he said.

A spokesman for Oslo University hospital said seven people had been taken there for treatment.

‘Busy area’

Government spokesman Hans Kristian Amundsen said Friday was a public holiday in Norway so the offices were not as busy as they might usually have been.

“But there are many hundreds of people in these buildings every day,” he told the BBC.

“We have to focus on the rescue operation – there are still people in the building, there are still people in the hospital.”

Oistein Mjarum, head of communications for the Norwegian Red Cross, said his offices were close to the site of the explosion.

“There was a massive explosion which could be heard over the capital Oslo,” he told the BBC.

“This is a very busy area on Friday afternoon and there was a lot of people in the streets, and many people working in these buildings that are now burning,” he said.

An NRK journalist, Ingunn Andersen, said the headquarters of tabloid newspaper VG had also been damaged.

“I see that some windows of the VG building and the government headquarters have been broken. Some people covered with blood are lying in the street,” AP quoted her as saying.

“It’s complete chaos here. The windows are blown out in all the buildings close by.”

Local resident Silvio told the BBC the blast shook everything in his apartment.

“I went running out onto the street to see what happened. All the neighbours came running out too.”

He said he saw two or three unconscious people being carried on stretchers and others on the floor.

“If they were dead or not I wouldn’t be able to tell you but they were receiving assistance at the time.”

“The police were clearing the area and there was already various security guards who were going over to attend to the various shops whose glass had been broken out.”

Mr Mjarum said people across the Oslo and Norway were in shock.

“We have never had a terrorist attack like this in Norway – if that’s what it is – but of course this has been a great fear for all Norwegians when they have seen what has been happening around the world.”