Per-Ola Olofsson was about to sit down to watch Melodifestivalen with his wife, when a roar was heard.
– I shouted to my roommate that the train is now derailing, he says.
Per-Ola Olofsson and partner Inga-Linn Blinds were during the weekend in the couple’s cottage in Vassijaure, the cottage is about 40 meters from the railway where the train derailed.
On Saturday evening, the couple prepared to watch Melodifestivalen, but were interrupted by a loud noise.
– I was standing in the kitchen preparing coffee when I heard a loud noise, says Per-Ola Olofsson.
– When I looked out, I saw that sparks were flying around the wheels of the wagons, then power lines started to be torn down. Then I shouted to my roommate that the train is now derailing.
“Watching the wagons crash”
The incident is very close to the train clock derailment that took place in December and which kept Malmbanan closed to traffic for over 60 days. On Tuesday last week, the railway was reopened for traffic between Kiruna and Narvik.
But it didn’t even have time to be open for a week.
The train that derailed en route from Narvik to Kiruna was empty. Something Per-Ola Olofson is happy about.
– We see how some carriages fall down and become suspended from the embankment. They don’t drive past us that fast and it was lucky that there were empty wagons, says Per-Ola Olofson