Military stops the use of equipment after Sergeant died

21 year old Sergeant Hågen Skattum died during an exercise in Troms.Photo: Hæren / NTB scanpix

The Armed Forces have decided to suspend all operation of the mining equipment that was in use when a 21 year old Sergeant ( Hågen Skattum) died during an exercise in Troms.

 

‘This type of equipment will not be used again until police and the commission of inquiry have completed their work,’ said the chief of Army, Major General Odin Johannessen on Saturday morning.

Until now, the equipment has been used at the military camps at Rena and Skjold. It is a piece of portable mining equipment used to clear roads in minefields.
The equipment was used during the exercise where a sergeant in the army’s engineering battalion was critically injured in an accidental explosion at Mauken in Skjold, Inner Troms on Friday afternoon. 21 year old Hågen Skattum, from Voss, died later of his injuries. On Saturday flags will fly at half mast in all Army camps to commemorate the soldier.

‘We will not lose our soldiers when we practice. We may lose them elsewhere when we are at war, but it should never happen during an exercise. This is a heavy day in the Army,’ said Odin Johannessen to NTB news.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today