Latest news with #NorwegianRedCross
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
US journalist who went missing for six days on Norwegian glacier hike rescued
The American journalist who vanished after venturing out for a solo hike along a glacier in Norway was found alive by a search and rescue crew six days after he went missing. Alec Luhn, a 38-year-old Wisconsin native, was found Wednesday and airlifted to a hospital after disappearing inside Norway's Folgefonna National Park on July 31, the local Red Cross branch said. 3 Alec Luhn, 38, was rescued on Wednesday after disappearing in Norway's Folgefonna National Park. Veronika Silchenko / Facebook The award-winning reporter was on vacation with his family when he set out on a multi-day trip to backpack across the national park. But he failed to meet back up with his relatives on Monday. Luhn's wife, Veronika Silchenko, said her husband was an experienced outdoorsman, so she wasn't initially worried when he failed to check in with them over the weekend. 3 Search and rescue efforts were called off two nights in a row this week due to dangerous weather. Norwegian Red Cross 'Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic,' Silchenko, an Emmy-winning TV journalist, told CBS News. 'He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers, and 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,' she said. But when she still hadn't heard from him, she reported her husband missing, and local officials launched a search and rescue mission surrounding the Folgefonna glacier. 3 The weather let up on Wednesday and the search team was able to locate Luhn in the area and order an airlift. Norwegian Red Cross The search, however, ran into trouble when bad weather forced the team and their helicopter to suspend the operation Monday night. A volunteer search and rescue team, police, K-9 units and drones renewed the search on Tuesday before it was again suspended due to the weather. 'Difficult terrain, poor visibility, rain and high water levels have complicated access to key areas,' the Norwegian Red Cross said in a statement just a few hours before the crew found Luhn. 'He was located by helicopter crew and has now been transported for medical treatment,' the organization posted on X. Officials did not comment on what condition Luhn was in. Luhn, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has reported for various outlets, including The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Scientific American, TIME, CBS News Radio, and VICE News TV.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Journalist missing in Norway survived six nights in wilderness with leg injury
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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
US journalist Alec Luhn found alive after going missing in Norway wilderness
Alec Luhn, an American environmental journalist who went missing while hiking on a Norwegian glacier, was found alive and appeared to be in good condition, officials said Wednesday. 'The person who has been missing since Monday evening has been found alive near Folgefonna,' the Norwegian Red Cross said in a statement shared on social media. 'He was located by helicopter crew and has now been transported for medical treatment.' Luhn, 38, had been missing for nearly a week after embarking on a solo backpacking trip on July 31 in Folgefonna — a wilderness park in southwestern Norway that is home to the country's third-largest glacier. The Wisconsin native, who now lives in London with his wife, Veronika Silchenko, had left for the park from the town of Odda, on the northeast edge of Folgefonna, for what was expected to be a four-day hike. On Monday, Silchenko reported her husband missing after he failed to board his flight home. Search-and-rescue teams — including a large group of volunteers, specialized climbing teams and drones — had been trying to locate Luhn for two days, but their efforts were hampered by difficult terrain, poor visibility, rain, and high water levels. The weather improved early Wednesday, and Luhn was found shortly after 11:30 a.m., local time, according to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang. Luhn, an experienced hiker, was found conscious after nearly a week in the wilderness. According to his wife, he injured his leg but was in good condition. 'I think it's a miracle,' Silchenko told CBS News. 'It's the best day of my life.'
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Missing American journalist found alive in Norwegian park
Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An American climate journalist has been found alive and in good health after going missing in a Norwegian park last week. Alec Luhn, a reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic and was a Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight from Bergen to the U.K. Luhn was found near Folgefonna National Park by a helicopter and has been taken for medical treatment, the Norwegian Red Cross wrote on X Wednesday. "We are very, very happy! Many thanks to everyone in Norway who has helped to find him," Luhn's wife Veronika Silchenko told local news outlet VG by phone after he was found. The search operation for Luhn began on Monday and was expanded by Tuesday. Ingeborg Thorsland, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Red Cross, earlier told CNN that the operation spanned a large area and that heavy rainfall had made navigation difficult. Luhn had been on vacation with his sister in Norway, then began a four-day hike alone from the outdoor center of Ullensvang, on the northern edge of the park, a 212-square-mile wilderness in western Norway that's home to one of the country's biggest glaciers. Drew Gaddis, Luhn's sister, confirmed in a social media post that he had been found "in overall good health" and was being taken to Bergen by helicopter. Norwegian media reported that he had injured his leg. She thanked the Norwegian police, the staff and volunteers and the thousands of people who had helped share news of the search. "We can breathe again!" she said. Luhn is fit and equipped for the treacherous hike. Folgefonna, the third largest icecap in Norway, is on a peninsula famed for its fjords, mountains, rivers, lakes and icefalls. Parts are desolate and can be dangerous in bad weather. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Time Magazine
5 days ago
- Time Magazine
American Journalist Found Alive After Going Missing For Days
American journalist Alec Luhn has been found alive after going missing last week while on a solo hike on a Norwegian glacier. The Norwegian Red Cross said in a post on X that Luhn had been located by a helicopter crew on Wednesday and transported for medical treatment. Luhn, 38, had left for his hiking trip for Folgefonna National Park on July 31, but when he did not show up for his flight home five days later, his wife, journalist Veronika Silchenko, reported him missing. She described the rescue as a 'miracle' on Wednesday, telling CBS News that he had suffered a leg injury but was in good condition. 'I'm so grateful to all the people who were involved in the rescue," Silchenko said. "It's the best day of my life.' The Red Cross said a large team of volunteers, experienced climbers, and drones had been mobilized for the search. Earlier in the week, 'difficult terrain, poor visibility, rain and high water levels' had made the search difficult, but by Wednesday, they said the weather had improved, making helicopter use possible Luhn is an award-winning climate journalist who has written for international outlets such as TIME, The Atlantic, The Guardian, National Geographic, The New York Times, and WIRED. He has written extensively about Russia, having been a Russia correspondent for The Guardian for multiple years. Luhn is from Wisconsin, though he is now based in the United Kingdom. 'We were hoping for the best, and I knew he was experienced in the backcountry, but the longer time goes on in these situations you start to fear the worst,' Michael Downey, a friend of Luhn's, told TIME. 'It's a huge relief to hear he's alive and well—it's been a day of happy messages among friends celebrating the good news.'
