NORWAY: Campsite owner gives eyewitness account of massacre on Utoeya Island

Record ID: 345201

  • Title: NORWAY: Campsite owner gives eyewitness account of massacre on Utoeya Island
  • Date: 27th July 2011
  • Summary: NEAR UTOEYA ISLAND, NORWAY (JULY 26, 2011) (REUTERS) CAMPSITE SIGN WIDE OF SITE WITH UTOEYA ISLAND IN BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON THE CAMP SITE CHILDREN PLAYING BEHIND TREES CAMP SITE OWNER BREDE JOHBRAATEN AT RECEPTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAMP SITE OWNER BREDE JOHBRAATEN SAYING: "A lot of people here with their own boats have a view directly to Utoeya so they saw what happened, kids were running out and in the water and swimming our way so they took their boats as fast as they could and started to rescue people." CLOSE OF CAMPSITE LOGO ON T-SHIRT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAMP SITE OWNER BREDE JOHBRAATEN SAYING: "I was very very busy to take care of the people and also to bring them to the hotel where the official rescue team was established, so I can't tell you very much about how long time (it took for the police to arrive). (Reporter: When did you start seeing police around?) "It wasn't really very late but it was civilian policemen coming very fast." JOHBRAATEN TALKING TO PEOPLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAMP SITE OWNER BREDE JOHBRAATEN SAYING: "I think it was a very confused situation because of what happened in Oslo. I think all of the policemen (from the area) were ordered to go to Oslo that is 40 kilometres away, and they had to start coming back again to prepare this accident, so it has to take time." JOHBRAATEN TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) CAMP SITE OWNER BREDE JOHBRAATEN SAYING: "I'm very impressed what the civilian people getting involved without special skills they are able to. I'm impressed at how far they will go. But it was not only this camp site. It was a lot of neighbouring people who heard from around three kilometres away the shots, and they started going out in their own boats." BOATS IN THE HARBOUR (BOATS USED TO SAVE PEOPLE) POLICE OFFICERS
  • Embargoed: 11th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Norway, Norway
  • Country: Norway
  • Topics: Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA8BANU5099SYEMXPJEMVOA6FNG
  • Story Text: A camping site owner near Utoeya island - the scene of Norway's worst peace time massacre - said on Tuesday (July 26) he was impressed at how civilians helped people caught up in the carnage.
    Brede Johbraaten who owns Utvika Camping said he was amazed at 'how far' people will go.
    "I'm very impressed what the civilian people getting involved without special skills they are able to. I'm impressed at how far they will go. But it was not only this camp site. It was a lot of neighbouring people who heard from around three kilometres away the shots, and they started going out in their own boats," he said.
    He said people at the camping ground took their own boats to help the people who jumped in the water to flee
    "A lot of people here with their own boats have a view directly to Utoeya so they saw what happened, kids were running out and in the water and swimming our way so they took their boats as fast as they could and started to rescue people," he said.
    Police have said the investigation on the island will be lengthy and it will be a long time before anybody is let onto the island again.
    Sixty-eight youths were killed when Anders Behring Breivik went on a shooting rampage on the island.
    Breivik has admitted to last Friday's shootings at the youth camp and an earlier bomb that killed eight people in Oslo's government district.
    After three months of laboriously pounding and mixing fertiliser, aspirin and other chemicals on a remote farm, Breivik drove a hire car packed with the results to the centre of Oslo on Friday, triggering the device outside government offices, killing eight and shattering thousands of windows.
    He then drove to the small island of Utoeya, 45 km (28 miles) away. Dressed as a policeman, he calmly shot down youngsters at a youth summer camp of the ruling Labour Party.
    His terrified victims tried to hide under beds or in the woods.
    Some leapt into the lake and tried to swim to the mainland.
    Utoeya island remains closed as police continue their search for missing people and evidence.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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