Hunt for missing journalist, 38, who failed to board flight home to Britain after solo hike in Norway
Alec Luhn, 38, is an American-born reporter who has worked for several prestigious outlets including the New York Times and the Guardian.
He was reported missing on Monday after failing to get on a flight back to the UK from Bergen, a city around 40 miles northwest of Folgefonna National Park, where Luhn was trekking.
Local media reported that he was on holiday with his sister in the Nordic nation and decided to go out on a four-day hike on July 31 from an outdoor centre in Ullensvang on the northern edge of the park.
The national park is a desolate 550 sq. km. park that is home to one of the country's biggest glaciers.
A 30-strong volunteer search and rescue team, along with dogs, drones and police were all sent to find him.
The operation was earlier suspended, amid bad weather. Tatjana Knappen, an operations manager from Vestland police, said: 'Weather conditions started to get really bad around midnight. It was not reasonable to continue the search up in the mountains.'
Local police said the Pulitzer Center Ocean Reporting Network fellow, a specialist in climate reporting, is an experienced mountain walker who was well-equipped.
He was last heard from on Thursday afternoon, with his wife, Emmy-winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, telling the New York Times that he had texted her his itinerary.
She reportedly said she had not expected to hear from him for a few days, owing to the spotting signal in the park. Silchenko added that it wasn't unusual for her husband to go on solo hikes.
But she began worrying about him by Sunday, and alerted local authorities after he failed to make it back to his return flight on Monday.
She said: 'I just really want him back. I can't sleep or eat properly. It's very hard not to know anything.'
Folgefonna National Park is known for being a popular challenge for hikers who fly in from all over the world to conquer the difficult terrain and admire its natural beauty.
The climate reporter is no stranger to exotic destinations, having reported from oil fields in Texas, drought-stricken regions of Somalia and a research ship on the North Sea.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Former Telegraph correspondent found alive after week stranded in Norwegian wilderness
The Telegraph's former Moscow correspondent has been found alive after spending nearly a week alone in the wilderness with a serious leg injury. Alec Luhn went missing in the remote Folgefonna national park in Norway after embarking on a four-day hike on July 31. Mr Luhn, a US-born reporter who worked in Moscow for The Telegraph between 2017 and 2019, was reported missing on Monday after failing to catch a flight from Bergen to Britain. He injured himself the evening he set out, according to Geir Arne Sunde, the head of the local air ambulance service and trauma centre. 'He is seriously injured, but not critically injured,' Mr Sunde said, after rescue teams found Mr Luhn at 11.34am local time on Wednesday. The award-winning journalist survived in the mountains in very bad weather for five days, with little food or drink, Mr Sunde said. 'I can't remember us finding someone alive after so many days,' said Stig Hope, head of the operations leadership team at Folgefonna and a Red Cross volunteer. 'The search doesn't always end like this – but today, it did. It's a huge relief for everyone who's been part of the effort.' The search for Mr Luhn involved rescuers from the Red Cross, police, dogs, specialised climbers and drones. It was suspended first on Monday night and then again on Tuesday because of poor weather, including heavy rainfall. Helicopters had been hunting for the journalist for several days when one finally spotted him, Mr Sunde said. Veronika Silchenko, his wife, told CBS News it was a 'miracle' that he had been found. 'I think it's a miracle,' she said. 'It's the best day of my life.' Drew Gaddis, Mr Luhn's sister, confirmed he had been found 'in overall good health' and was being taken to hospital in Bergen in a helicopter. 'We can breathe again,' she said. His wife said that Mr Luhn, now a climate reporter, was 'basically obsessed with the Arctic'. 'He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers… He's trying his best to go to the coldest countries,' she said of Mr Luhn, who once went to the Arctic to try to find polar bears for a Telegraph story. Mr Luhn has numerous awards for his reporting, including two Emmy nominations. He spent several years in Moscow for The Telegraph newspaper, followed by a stint in Istanbul. He now lives in the UK, where he is a Pulitzer Centre Ocean Reporting Network fellow.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Alec Luhn: US journalist found alive days after going missing on a hike in Norway
A US climate journalist who went missing for nearly a week on a solo hiking trip in Norway has been found alive, his family has Luhn, 38, vanished during a trek on a glacier in Folgefonna National Park in the country's southwest. His wife, Veronika Silchenko, told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that he sustained a leg injury but was otherwise in good health."I think it's a miracle," Ms Silchenko said. "It's the best day of my life."Mr Luhn, who has worked for multiple news outlets, set off on his hike from the town of Odda in southwestern Norway on 31 July. He did not show up for his scheduled return flight home on Monday, prompting Ms Silchenko to alert authorities. Ms Silchenko said she was grateful for the Norwegian rescue team for finding her husband, and was waiting to speak to a doctor about the extent of his injury. No further details about his rescue have been released. She previously described Mr Luhn as an experienced outdoorsman who had camped in in difficult weather conditions."Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic," Ms Silchenko told CBS News. "He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers."As a climate journalist, Mr Luhn has travelled extensively to document glaciers that are rapidly shrinking because of the effects of global warming."He's trying his best to go to the coldest countries," she has previously reported for numerous outlets, including the BBC, The Atlantic, National Geographic, The New York Times, Scientific American, Time magazine, and year, he wrote for the BBC about Canada's "zombie" fires, which burn year round and are believed to be exacerbated by climate change.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Rescuers searching for US journalist who went missing while hiking in Norwegian National Park
Rescuers are searching for a US journalist who went missing on a hike in the remote Folgefonna national park, home to one of Norway 's largest glaciers. Alec Luhn, 38, was last seen on Thursday 31 July as he was setting off for his hike in the park, which stretches 545 square kilometres in western Norway. The reporter, who is from Wisconsin but based in the UK, is a Pulitzer Center Ocean Reporting Network fellow and has had two Emmy nominations. Formerly based in Moscow and Istanbul, he has reported for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and was a regular Guardian Russia correspondent from 2013 to 2017. His wife, journalist Veronika Silchenko, said he sent a picture from his last known location, Odda, on Thursday. She made a public appeal on social media after becoming concerned when he failed to board his flight home. Ms Silchenko, a TV journalist, urged anyone with information or who may have seen him to get in touch. 'We exchanged a few texts [on Thursday],' she told CNN. 'He told me that he is going to hike and sent me a picture. He looked fine, the weather was fine. 'On Monday, we decided that we need to call the services, because he should have gotten out of the park by that time and probably would have been able to find the internet. So we started really panicking.' Rescue dogs, Red Cross volunteers, special crews for alpine and glacier searches, drones and a Norwegian Air Force helicopter have all been searching the area with police. The experienced hiker had been on a family holiday before setting out on a solo backpacking trip from Odda, according to friends. Mr Luhn spoke to a French couple who gave him a lift to the glacier on 31 July and believe he may have described his plan to them for his route, a family friend told The Independent. They were in a camper van with their young son. The friend said they are trying to find anyone who saw or spoke to Alec - particularly the French couple - to learn more about the routes he was taking. Folgefonna National Park, known for its dramatic glacier tongues, wild valleys, and fast-flowing rivers, has drawn adventurous tourists since 1833. However, its remote and rugged terrain can turn perilous in harsh weather conditions. 'Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic,' Ms Silchenko told CBS News. 'He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers. He's a climate journalist, so for him it is always that story that now because of the climate change they're all shrinking, and he's trying his best to go to the coldest countries.' The search was suspended on Tuesday afternoon due to severe weather, including heavy rain and high water levels in rivers, police told The Independent. 'The police are also actively working to gather information that can narrow the search, including interviewing witnesses in the mountains and investigating telecommunications operators and mobile phone manufacturer to map the movements of the missing person,' said Eirik Loftesnes, Head of Operations at Western Police District. By Wednesday morning, the search resumed with the Alpine Rescue Group heading to Odda by helicopter.
