24 June 2019

Salaks: an unusual video of a landslide impact in Norway

Posted by Dave Petley

Salaks: an unusual video of a landslide impact in Norway

On 8th June 2019 a landslide struck the Salaks salmon processing plant in the northern part of Norway, severely damaging the building and some of its equipment, and shutting the works down.  Various news agencies reported the story in Norwegian at the time.  Some included this image of the aftermath of the site:-

The landslide that damaged the Salaks plant

The landslide that damaged the Salaks plant in Norway. Image by Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge via NRK.

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The failure appears to be a collapse of a rock bluff above the plant, with the debris following the slope to the bottom of the hill.  There is some entrainment, most notably of trees.  The landslide appears to have struck the corner of the plant.

Salaks have released CCTV video of the landslide striking the Salaks factory.  It includes two different views, one within the building and one from a camera mounted outside.  Unfortunately I cannot embed this video, but if not it can be viewed here.   It is worth a look.

The landslide at the Salaks plant

The landslide at the Salaks plant in Norway. Still from a video of CCTV footage released by the company. The video can be viewed on the Intrafish website.

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Although this is a comparatively small landslide, the violence and power of the event is clear. It is fortunate that there was no-one in the path of the landslide.

The news reports indicate that Salaks are still not able to enter the building, and so the full extent of the damage is not yet established.  It is the second blow to the company this summer, which has been facing the impact of an algal bloom, damaging its fish stocks.  The plant has about 25 employees in total, none of whom are able to work at present.  Reports suggest that these individuals have had to be temporarily laid off.