106 reindeer hit by freight train

106 reindeer died when they were hit by a freight train south of Mosjøen on Saturday.

 

Bane Nor had assured the reindeer owner that the trains would pass slowly through that part of the route.

It was a local that first mentioned the accident that occurred at Kvalforsbrua between Eiterstrøm and Mosjøen on Helgeland.

Reindeer owners according to NRK contacted Bane Nor several times and they were assured that the train would pass slowly through where the animals were located. The train conductor had not received the message.

“We, the reindeer farmers and owners, have a close relationship with our animals. I am so angry that I am feel dizzy,” says reindeer owner Ole Henrik Kappfjell.

According to Kappfjell, one of the butchered animals was hanging from the locomotive when it reached the station in Mosjøen.

The reindeer owners are currently herding their animals to Sjåmoen to separate and to transport them to their winter feeding grounds on the coast..

Area Director Thor Brækkan in Bane Nor regrets what has happened saying that they will re-evaluate and mend their procedures. Brækkan confirms that the reindeer owner had sent a message that reineier were in the area and that it was entered into the system but it did not appear due to a technical failure.

‘’When it was discovered that the message did not go through and it had disappeared, they tried to call the train. Unfortunately, it was too late,’’ Brækkan told NRK.

Vefsn politician Carola Karl Urvik (V) reacted strongly to the incident and demands that local politicians, the mayor, Mattilsynet and Bane Nor must get together to discuss how such tragedies can be avoided before they have wild game in place.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today