When Norway was struck in the wee hours of December 30, 2020, by the biggest landslide disaster in its history, responders scrambled to launch what wound up becoming a record-setting rescue operation. As they did, powerful surveillance applications of DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones deployed above the area allowed those workers to more effectively locate and save survivors – and at far reduced risk of becoming victims themselves in the process.
Drones take over from choppers
Nothing about the operation was easy – as details DJI alerted DroneDJ to attest. The landslide covered a large, two-square kilometer section in the village of Ask in Gjerdrum. Temperatures dropped to marrow-chilling -23°C lows, and winds gusted up to 18.4 m/s. The alert was called in at 4 a.m. at the time of year when the sun rises after nine and shines a mere six hours. Responders rushing out to look for victims buried under thick, freezing mud or stranded in rubble would not only battle dismal search…
