Parts of northern Swedish town Kiruna to be evacuated

..within five years, which is earlier than expected.  

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  Kiruna (population in 2010: 18,148) is coming apart faster than previously expected. Due to cracks caused by the mining industry, people in certain areas of the city must be evacuated within five to seven years.

• Parts of Kiruna to be evacuated
  Parts of the city of Kiruna in northern Sweden must be evacuated within five years, which is earlier than expected. LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag – a Swedish mining company) has updated its prognosis in regards to when the cracks will reach Kiruna and soon some of its inhabitants are forced to move. It is the mining under Kiruna that through the years have led to cracks under the city center, and it has long been obvious that this city center must be moved. However, it must be moved quicker than first thought. According to LKAB’s updated prognosis, the cracks will hit the center already in five to seven years. “We’ve said previously that the prognosis might be adjusted, and that’s what we’ve now done,” says Anders Lindberg, Director of Information at LKAB. The houses closest to the railway in the neighborhoods called Berlinmuren, Snusdosan, and Spottkoppen are expected to be evacuated between 2018 and 2020.