Major bus fire splits Norway in two, causing nationwide travel chaos

A bus fire in a key tunnel along Norway’s E6 highway has severed the country’s main north-south road link, forcing a 15-hour detour and triggering traffic chaos ahead of the Easter holiday, Dagbladet reports.

The blaze erupted overnight in the Raudhammartunnel, shutting the route indefinitely and leaving the only alternative road connection between northern and southern Norway via a lengthy detour through Sweden. Authorities warn the tunnel may remain closed for days.

Norway’s Public Roads Administration has issued emergency exemptions to driving and rest-time regulations for freight drivers affected by the closure. Under the temporary rules, daily driving limits increase to 10 hours, weekly limits to 60 hours, and cumulative two-week limits to 100 hours—measures aimed at mitigating supply chain disruptions.

“This is the worst possible location for such an incident,” said Renate Aanes, a traffic operator with the agency, noting the timing coincides with the start of Norway’s busy Easter travel period. The closure has also stranded newspaper deliveries, with Dagbladet, VG, and Aftenposten unable to reach roughly 80 retail outlets in the Bodø region.

Meanwhile, police in Nordland reported “chaotic queues and heated tempers” at the Bodø ferry terminal, where frustrated drivers—facing waits of up to 15 hours—have resorted to honking and confrontations. Operations leader Thomas Jarnæs Coe confirmed officers were deployed to “calm tensions” after ferry operators requested assistance. No physical altercations have been reported.

Protest actions by truckers, including a 40 km/h convoy along a 60 km stretch of highway, were separately organized via the Facebook group “Diesel Brølet” in solidarity with the disruption.