An illegal rave in an underground bunker in the Norwegian capital of Oslo has ended badly, as dozens were rushed to hospitals with acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to the Oslo Police Department, up to 200 people aged 20 to 30 gathered in the bunker for the event, dubbed “Rave Cave” that was launched online, but later “got out of control”, as its 24-year-old organiser later admitted from a hospital bed to the newspaper Verdens Gang.
At least 27 people were poisoned by the deadly gas, which was given off by portable generators that use diesel. Emergency services found seven people unconscious inside. Five people, including two police officers who were first on the scene, were hospitalised in critical condition. Attendees who left the event on their own later told the media that the air quality was so poor that they had to go outside for some fresh air.
The “cave”, a former bomb shelter, has only one entrance, which is only one metre wide. It is 70 metres deep and E-shaped. According to the police, several of the party-goes had been using drugs such as amphetamines, MDMA, cocaine and alcohol.
“It could have been much worse. There are no other ways out, you are a prisoner inside”, police operations manager Arve Røtterud told Verdens Gang.
The company that owns the bunker described the illegal rave as a “serious break-in” and disavowed any responsibility. The entrance to the bunker was previously sealed with double-reinforced concrete. However, it was reopened by new owners and only secured with wooden boards.
To personer siktet etter grottefest https://t.co/hs7Wxvfcix
— VG (@vgnett) August 31, 2020
The police have charged two people for unauthorised access and are unsure whether more people should be charged in this case, and whether the charges should be extended.
The Oslo Police announced on Monday that they are carrying out a continuous investigation in a dialogue with, among others, Oslo University Hospital, inspecting confiscated items and examining electronic tracks.
“We will work to obtain information to get a comprehensive picture of the situation. This is a serious case,” investigation leader Julie Wangensteen Lien said, envisaging further interrogations.
According to Verdens Gang, this is by far not an isolated event, as several of the Rave Cave party attendees also reportedly participated in another illegal dance party at the construction site of billionaire Petter Stordalen's new luxury hotel in Oslo.
The man who helped arrange the Rave Cave and the hotel site rave, admitted he has been to several similar dance parties in Oslo during the “corona summer”, describing them as “forest raves” and “building raves”.
“A couple of weeks in advance, we find a place where we can get in. Then we create a secret event on Facebook and Snapchat and send out invitations”, he explained. According to him, about 200 people aged 20-30 are invited each time. The participants are given exact directions only one hour before the party starts.
Previously, a spike in illegal parties due to COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing was reported in other European nations, including Norway's neighbour Sweden that despite its controversial no-lockdown policy introduced restrictions on public events.
