'Moose gridlock' for Oslo
2012-05-12 14:22
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Norway
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Oslo - A moose caused transport chaos in Oslo
on Saturday when it ran on to a main highway then into a train tunnel, halting
road and rail traffic, before it was shot dead, police said.
"The moose has now been shot inside the
rail tunnel," Tor Groettum of the Oslo police told AFP after a drama
lasting more than two hours.
He said the moose, known as an elk in Europe,
had disrupted traffic from around 09:30 as it ran along in the middle of the
E18 Mosseveien highway - the main road from Oslo towards Sweden.
"He was running along quite calmly, but
a moose in the road can always do a lot of damage," Groettum said, adding
that no one had been hurt.
The moose had then found its way into Oslo's
main rail tunnel, following the tracks past the principal station, Oslo S, on
the east side of the city and then towards the large National Theatre station
on the west side.
All trains to and from the capital were
halted while authorities attempted to find the moose in the complex network of
tunnels.
It was finally shot just before noon near the
National Theatre station and was in the process of being lifted out, Groettum
said. Media reports said it was killed by hunters who had joined firemen in
searching for the beast.
- SAPA
