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LANDSLIDE

IN PICTURES: How a massive landslide completely wrecked Gothenburg-Oslo motorway

A mudslide destroyed the busy E6 motorway at Stenungsund, north of Gothenburg, and created a sinkhole which authorities expect will take months to repair.

Published: 25 September 2023 11:05 CEST
IN PICTURES: How a massive landslide completely wrecked Gothenburg-Oslo motorway
The E6 motorway moved up to 50 metres in the landslide. Photo: Hanna Brunlöf Windell/TT

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The landslide is believed to have started at around 1.20am on Saturday, with waves of mud washing over the E6 motorway. Photo: Hanna Brunlöf Windell/TT
 

Police are investigating whether blasting work at a nearby construction site may have caused the mudslide. Photo: Hanna Brunlöf Windell/TT
 

Three people received minor injuries, but because the incident happened in the middle of the night rather than during rush hour, there were no fatalities. Photo: Hanna Brunlöf Windell/TT
 

Police and rescue services have searched the area together with dogs, but do not believe anyone is trapped in the mud and debris. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT
 

More than 10,000 vehicles usually pass Stenungsund via the E6 motorway every day. The road is expected to remain closed for months. Photo: TT
 

Traffic is being rerouted via the E45 and 650 roads. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT
 

The E6 motorway connects Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-biggest city, and Oslo, the capital of Norway. Photo: GoogleMaps
 

King Carl XVI Gustaf visited the site on Monday. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

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LANDSLIDE

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

Swedish authorities said on Thursday that worker negligence at a construction site was believed to be behind a landslide that tore apart a motorway in western Sweden in September.

Published: 28 March 2024 17:00 CET
Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

The landslide, which struck the E6 highway in Stenungsund, 50 kilometres north of Sweden’s second-largest city Gothenburg, ripped up a petrol station car park, overturned lorries and caved in the roof of a fast food restaurant.

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Prosecutor Daniel Veivo Pettersson said on Thursday he believed “human factors” were behind the landslide as “no natural cause” had been found during the investigation.

He told a press conference the landslide had been triggered by a nearby construction site where too much excavated material had been piled up, putting excessive strain on the ground below. 

“At this stage, we consider it negligent, in this case grossly negligent, to have placed so much excavated material on the site,” Pettersson said.

Pettersson added that three people were suspected of among other things gross negligence and causing bodily harm, adding that the investigation was still ongoing.

The worst-hit area covered around 100 metres by 150 metres, but the landslide affected an area of around 700 metres by 200 metres in total, according to emergency services.

Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the collapse, according to authorities.

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