Norway massacre survivors return to scene

UTVIKA, Norway -- Survivors of a massacre that claimed the lives of 69 people in Norway last month carried flowers to the site of the killings Saturday, laughter blending with tears as they remembered the joys of an island youth camp that turned into a scene of horror.

Stine Renate Haaheim, 27, a lawmaker who survived the July 22 shooting spree on Utoya island, said her feelings during the visit ranged from emptiness and extreme grief to joy.

"I was hoping that in some kind of way it will still be the same island as it used to be," she told the AP after returning from the visit. "For me it was really important, I wanted to go back as soon as possible." The hardest part, she said, was seeing where her friends died.

Media were not allowed on the heavily guarded island where Anders Behring Breivik allegedly spent 90 minutes executing the 69 people. Many of the victims, who were at a camp organized by the youth wing of Norway's Labor Party, were shot in the water as they tried to escape by swimming.

On Sunday, a national memorial service is to be held at Oslo Spektrum arena, marking the end of a month of mourning in the Scandinavian country.

Many who returned to the island lit candles and laid handwritten notes in memory of their friends. Up to 1,000 survivors and relatives traveled to Utoya Saturday, accompanied by police and medical staff. Their visit followed a similar visit by about 500 relatives of victims Friday.

Breivik has admitted to killing the Ustoya victims and eight others the same day in a truck bombing in Oslo. -- AP