Explosion near Norway tabloid, government HQ: reports

Jul 22, 2011 |

Agencies

OSLO

Tags:

blast
Norway

A huge explosion rocked the building of Norway's biggest tabloid newspaper VG and the government's headquarters in Oslo on Friday, leaving at least several people injured, local media reported.

"I see that some windows of the VG building and the government headquarters have been broken. Some people covered with blood are lying in the street," a journalist with public radio NRK said from the scene.

The radio reported that the explosion seemed to happen near the finance ministry, which is near the Norwegian prime minister's office and the VG editorial offices.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was not believed to have been in his office at the time.

"There is glass everywhere. It is total chaos. The windows of the all the surrounding buildings have been blown out," added NRK journalist Ingunn Andersen.

Photos posted on the NRK website showed shattered glass in front of the devastated facade of the VG building, and soldiers closing off the area and people surrounding someone apparently injured in the blast.

Oslo police were not immediately available for comment.

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