Moose loose stops road, rail traffic in Oslo

A moose caused transport chaos in Oslo Saturday when it ran on to a main highway then into a train tunnel, halting road and rail traffic, before it was shot dead, police said. "The moose has now been shot inside the rail tunnel," Tor Groettum of the Oslo police told AFP after a drama lasting more than two hours. He said the moose, known as an elk in Europe, had disrupted traffic from around 9:30 am (0730 GMT) as it ran along in the middle of the E18 Mosseveien highway -- the main road from Oslo towards Sweden. "He was running along quite calmly, but a moose in the road can always do a lot of damage," Groettum said, adding that no one had been hurt. The moose had then found its way into Oslo's main rail tunnel, following the tracks past the principal station, Oslo S, on the east side of the city and then towards the large National Theatre station on the west side. All trains to and from the capital were halted while authorities attempted to find the moose in the complex network of tunnels. It was finally shot just before noon (1000 GMT) near the National Theatre station and was in the process of being lifted out, Groettum said. Media reports said it was killed by hunters who had joined firemen in searching for the beast.