Avalanche Hits Arctic Norway's Remote Svalbard Archipelago

Norwegian authorities say six people suffered non-threatening injuries and several people are unaccounted for after an avalanche of snow on the remote Arctic island of Svalbard hit 10 houses.

Tone Hertzberg, a spokeswoman for the governor of Svalbard, said "it would be logical" to believe that Saturday's 1000GMT (5 a.m. EST) avalanche is connected to a storm with strong winds that hit the Svalbard archipelago late Friday. Local daily Svalbardposten said the storm, with winds up to 95 kilometers (60 mph) per hour, it was the worst storm in 30 years.

Svalbard sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the mainland, and is known for its stunning views of snow-covered mountains, fjords and glaciers, AP reported.

Source: SPA