A UK-based journalist who vanished during a solo hike in Norway has been found alive after surviving five harrowing days alone with almost no food.
Alec Luhn, an experienced mountain walker and seasoned climate reporter, was discovered deep in Folgefonna National Park with a broken leg.
FacebookAlec Luhn, 38, is an American-born reporter[/caption]
The 38-year-old had been missing since last week after setting out on a solo trek through the remote national park, home to one of Norway’s largest glaciers.
American-born Luhn had failed to board his return flight to the UK from Bergen on Monday, sparking a full-scale search.
His wife, Emmy-winning journalist Veronika Silchenko, told The New York Times that she had received a text from Luhn on Thursday with his planned route but grew concerned when she didn’t hear from him again.
By Sunday, alarm bells were ringing — and when he missed his flight on Monday, she alerted authorities.
“I just really want him back. I can’t sleep or eat properly. It’s very hard not to know anything,” Silchenko said before the dramatic rescue.
The rescue effort was suspended temporarily due to brutal weather conditions.
Tatjana Knappen 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.”
But against all odds, Luhn was found alive by a 30-strong team of volunteers, police, drones and dogs.
“He is seriously injured, but not critically injured,” confirmed Geir Arne Sunde, head of the local air ambulance service and trauma centre.
Luhn had suffered the leg injury on the first day of his hike but still managed to cling to life in the desolate 136,000-acre park.
Stig Hope, a Red Cross volunteer and head of the operations team, 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.”
Luhn, who has written for heavyweight outlets including The New York Times, had been holidaying with his sister before heading out solo on July 31 from an outdoor centre in Ullensvang.
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