The sudden landslide that destroyed a section of the European route E6 in Sweden on Saturday left a key transport link in the region impassable for an extended period. Officials estimated Sunday that reconstruction would take several months. Police largely cordoned off the area and warned onlookers not to approach the area.
Near the small town of Stenungsund in western Sweden, parts of the highway collapsed for reasons that are still unclear. An area measuring approximately 700 by 200 meters was affected. Images showed a long crack in the area near a gas station and the roof of a fast food restaurant had collapsed. Several cars crashed and three people were slightly injured. According to previous findings, residential areas were not affected.
Experts decided to find out the cause of the incident over the weekend. It may be related to rainy days and the region’s vulnerable clayey soil. Previous landslides in Sweden have often been related to heavy rain and the nature of the soil.
Police also launched an investigation into work at a construction site in the area. Explosions were carried out there. It is not yet clear whether there is a connection to the landslide.
Drivers of affected cars and trucks reported unreal scenes. After finishing work at his restaurant, he took the highway access road on his way home, restaurant owner Marko Mijatovic told Swedish radio station SVT. “After a while, I felt like the car was going to fly.” Shortly afterwards the car collapsed. You couldn’t see the hole in the ground. “It just came out of nowhere,” he said.
Truck driver Piotr Dietula, like several colleagues, spent the night in his vehicle at the gas station. He reported to SVT that his truck had sunk halfway. He could only get out through the windows. At first he was just confused, but then he realized what had happened – then he was surprised that he was still alive.
The E6 runs thousands of kilometers across Scandinavia, from the far north of the region, through large parts of Norway, to the port city of Trelleborg in southern Sweden. Baltic Sea ferries also travel from there to Rostock and Travemünde. Stenungsund is located almost 40 kilometers north of Gothenburg in western Sweden. Traffic in the affected area is now being rerouted via secondary roads.