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    Several Hurt in Avalanche in Norway's Remote Arctic Svalbard Archipelago

   by Associated Press

   An avalanche smashed into 10 houses Saturday on the remote Arctic
   archipelago of Svalbard, sending eight people to the hospital and
   leaving several others missing, authorities said.

   The avalanche tumbled down about 11 a.m. local time from Sukkertoppen
   mountain, which dominates Longyearbyen, the main settlement on
   Svalbard. Dozens of houses at the foot of Sukkertoppen were
   protectively evacuated, said Tone Hertzberg, a spokeswoman for the
   governor of Svalbard.

   Three children were in serious condition and five adults were slightly
   injured by the avalanche, hospital spokeswoman Marit Einejord told The
   Associated Press.

   Hertzberg said "it would be logical" to assume the avalanche was
   connected to a storm that hit the Svalbard archipelago late Friday.

   Local daily Svalbardposten said the storm, with winds up to 95 kph (60
   mph), was the worst in 30 years.

   "People have been taken to the hospital and there are still people
   unaccounted for. Right now we still have no overview of the situation.
   It will take hours, many hours, before we do," Hertzberg told the AP by
   telephone.

   About 100 people, including emergency workers and volunteers, were
   helping out following the avalanche. The archipelago's hospital
   requested extra medical staff from the largest nearby hospital in
   Tromsoe, on the Norwegian mainland, and rescue teams with search dogs
   were on their way.

   The fierce storm also ripped off a school's roof, sending it flying
   onto a soccer field. The airport in Longyearbyen was closed Friday but
   was expected to reopen later Saturday.

   Svalbard, which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the
   Norwegian mainland, is known for its stunning views of snow-covered
   mountains, fjords and glaciers. Located midway between continental
   Norway and the North Pole, the archipelago has about 2,600 residents.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/several-hurt-in-avalanche-norways-remote-arctic-svalbard-archipelago/3110129.html