There is still tons of wreckage from the Hercules plane that crashed and exploded on top of Sweden’s highest mountain Kebnekaise during a military exercise this spring. About six tons of wreckage has been brought down from the more than 2000 meters high mountain top, but still some 80 percent of the plane is scattered around the top.
The crash site is also polluted by about 8000 liters of jet fuel, which has started to spread around the area by brooks running down from melting glaciers.
The Swedish National Property Board will be responsible for the clean-up operation, with help from the Armed Forces and regional authorities. The economic responsibility for the operation is still not clear, and Norwegian authorities will be asked to contribute.
Swedish authorities believe it can take years before the mountain is completely clean.
“We are fighting against time to get as much as possible done before the weather gets worse and winter sets in”, says head of the cleaning operations Per Sandberg to Norrländska Socialdemokraten. “We will then make an action plan for how we will continue the work next year”.
