A large section of highway in southwestern Sweden collapsed overnight, slightly injuring three people and taking them to hospital, police said today.

This highway connects Sweden’s second largest city Gothenburg with the Norwegian capital Oslo and the section of it that collapsed after a landslide is located near the small town of Stenungsund, about 50 kilometers north of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast.

“The worst damage from the landslide was suffered by an area of ​​approximately 100X150 meters. However, in total the landslide affected an area of ​​approximately 700X200 meters”, the first aid services of Gothenburg say in a statement.

Around 10 vehicles, a wooded area and a business area with a gas station and fast food restaurant were also affected, they said.

Three people were taken to hospital with “minor injuries” after part of the motorway collapsed, police spokesman Angust Brandt said.

“Many people were helped out of their vehicles in the landslide zone with the assistance of firefighters and helicopters,” rescue services added.

The landslide was triggered just before 02:00 local time in the area which has seen heavy rain in recent days, but authorities were not yet able to clarify what exactly happened.

At this stage, the risk of further landslides cannot be ruled out, the rescue services also pointed out in their statement.