Norwegians try to cause landslide in unstable mountain

COPENHAGEN – Norwegian authorities are trying to provoke a landslide by pumping water onto a mountain where a major shift in the rock has appeared threatening.

Lars Harald Blikra of Norway’s Water Resources and Energy Directorate says 75,000 litres (19,500 gallons) of water had been pumped up overnight onto the Mannen mountain, 350 kilometres (217 miles) northwest of Oslo.

He said Friday the pumping could continue for days, adding “we have not seen so large a shifting before.”

In recent weeks, movement of up to 10 centimetres (4 inches) has been recorded — compared with a normal shifting rate of 1-2 centimetres (0.4-0.8 inches) per year.

Late Thursday, 11 people living in four houses close to Mannen were protectively evacuated.