Norway sinkhole swallows motorway, railway; one presumed dead

The sinkhole spans both lanes on Norway's E6 motorway. Photo / AFP

An enormous sinkhole in Norway engulfed a portion of motorway and railway tracks, killing one person, authorities say.

The hole, spanning several dozen metres, affected both lanes of the E6 motorway and the tracks running alongside the road in the town of Levanger, about 500km north of Oslo, according to photos by Norwegian media on Saturday (local time).

A Danish worker who was on-site and went missing has been presumed dead, the police said.

The Norwegian public company responsible for managing the country’s railway infrastructure was working to stabilise the soil along the railway track, the company told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

The company said it was too early to say whether the works could have triggered the sinkhole.

The ground in the area is largely clay, which can cause such phenomena, according to experts quoted by the NTB news agency.

Two houses near the sinkhole have been evacuated.

The E6 motorway will be closed for several days,the Norwegian Road Administration said.

– Agence France-Presse