Rescuers in Norway resume search for journalist missing in wilderness
Alec Luhn, a US-born reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic, and was a regular Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight to the UK from Bergen.
Norwegian media said Luhn, 38, was holidaying with his sister in Norway and had set out on the four-day hike alone on 31 July from the outdoor centre of Ullensvang on the northern edge of the park, a 550 sq km wilderness in the west of the country.
Local police told the public broadcaster, NRK, that a 30-strong volunteer search and rescue team from the Red Cross, dogs, drones and police were all involved in the search on Tuesday after the operation had to be suspended late on Monday night.
'Weather conditions started to get really bad around midnight,' when a rescue helicopter was recalled amid strong winds and heavy rain, said Tatjana Knappen, an operations manager from Vestland police. 'It was not reasonable to continue the search up in the mountains.'
Police said late on Tuesday afternoon that volunteer rescuers had been pulled out because of fast-deteriorating weather conditions but the search would continue into the evening. 'We have to put rescue teams' safety first,' the police chief Svein Buer told VG newspaper.
Luhn is an experienced mountain walker, fit and well-equipped, police said. His wife, the Emmy-award winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, posted on social media on Tuesday asking anyone who had seen him or had information to contact her.
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Luhn, who among numerous awards also has two Emmy nominations, was based for many years in Moscow, then Istanbul and now lives in the UK. Specialising in climate journalism, he is a Pulitzer Center Ocean Reporting Network fellow.
Folgefonna, the third largest icecap in Norway, is on a peninsula famed for its fjords, mountains, rivers, lakes and icefalls. It has been a centre for wilderness adventure since the 19th century, but parts are desolate and can be treacherous especially in poor weather.
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
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Journalist who failed to board flight home to Britain after solo hike in Norway is found ALIVE but seriously injured 'after surviving five days on very little food'
A UK-based climate reporter who vanished in bad weather during a solo hike in a remote national park in Norway has been found alive after spending nearly a week alone in the wilderness. 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. He was last heard from last Thursday afternoon, with his wife, Emmy-winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, telling the New York Times that he had texted her his itinerary. But following a massive search of the Nordic park, he was found with a serious leg injury, which he suffered the first day he set out, according to local rescuers. Geir Arne Sunde, the head of the local air ambulance service and trauma centre, said: 'He is seriously injured, but not critically injured.' The reporter somehow managed to survive his days-long ordeal with very little food. Luhn's rescue was something of a miracle, rescuers said. Stig Hope, head of the operations leadership team at Folgefonna and a Red Cross volunteer, said: 'I can't remember us finding someone alive after so many days. ''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.' 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 136,000 acre 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 temporarily 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. His wife 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 before his rescue: '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.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
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Rescuers in Norway have found the award-winning environmental journalist Alec Luhn alive after he went missing in the remote Folgefonna national park and survived nearly a week alone in the wilderness with a serious leg injury. Luhn, a US-born reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic and was a regular Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight to the UK from Bergen. Luhn, 38, had been holidaying with his sister in Norway and set out on a four-day hike alone on 31 July from the outdoor centre of Ullensvang, on the northern edge of the park, a 550 sq km wilderness in the west of Norway that is home to one of the country's biggest glaciers. At a press briefing from Haukeland hospital in Bergen, the head of the air ambulance service and trauma centre, Geir Arne Sunde, said Luhn had hurt himself on the evening he set out. 'He is seriously injured, but not critically injured,' he said. Rescue teams found Luhn at 11.34am local time on Wednesday, the Norwegian Red Cross said. 'He has managed in the mountain in very bad weather for five days, without much food or drink,' Sunde said. 'He has been very lucky.' '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.' A volunteer search and rescue team from the Red Cross, police, dogs, specialised climbing teams and drones were all involved in looking for him. The operation had to be suspended late on Monday night and then again on Tuesday owing to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, including heavy rainfall. Sunde said Luhn had heard the helicopters searching for him for several days before one of them finally spotted him. Luhn's sister Drew Gaddis confirmed in a social media post that he had been found 'in overall good health' and was being transported to Bergen by helicopter. She thanked the Norwegian police, the teams of staff and volunteers involved and the thousands of people who had helped share news of the search. 'We can breathe again!' she said. Veronika Silchenko, Luhn's wife, told the Verden Gans newspaper: 'We are very, very happy. Many thanks to everyone in Norway who has helped find him.' Among numerous awards, Luhn has two Emmy nominations. He was based for many years in Moscow, then Istanbul, and now lives in the UK where he specialises in climate journalism and is a Pulitzer Center Ocean Reporting Network fellow. Folgefonna, the third largest icecap in Norway, is on a peninsula famed for its fjords, mountains, rivers, lakes and icefalls. It has been a centre for wilderness adventure since the 19th century. Parts are desolate and can be treacherous, especially in poor weather.
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