Rescuers lose hope of finding landslide survivors

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK » Norwegian authorities said Tuesday they have given up hope of finding survivors of a landslide that swept away homes in a residential area almost a week ago, killing seven people.

Three people are stillmissing from the Dec. 30 disaster that destroyed at least nine buildings with more than 30 apartments in the village of Ask, located 16miles northeast of Oslo. The landslide was among the worst in modern Norwegian history.

“It is with great sadness that I must say that we no longer have any hope of finding people alive after the landslide” local police chief Ida Melbo Oeystese said.

Search crews will continue “working to find everyone who is missing,” Oeystese said.