US journalist survives five days on glacier in Norway

Luhn, 38, set off alone for what was supposed to be a four-day hike in Norway’s Folgefonna national park on 31 July. He is an experienced hiker and was planning to explore the 545 sq km park, which is home to one of the country’s largest glaciers.

By Monday he had missed his flight home to London and not regained a phone signal. His wife, Veronika Silchenko, alerted Norwegian authorities. A major police rescue operation – involving dogs, drones and a large team of volunteers – battled poor weather conditions and difficult ­terrain for five days. Luhn was eventually found by a rescue helicopter near the Nedre Buarbreen glacier.

Silchenko, who flew to Norway on Thursday to reunite with her husband in hospital, told CBS the rescue was “a miracle” and that she was grateful to all the people involved. “It’s the best day of my life,” Silchenko said.

Norway’s central rescue service and local police reported that Luhn was spotted thanks to his red jacket, which stood out in the rocky terrain. After five days of searching, he was seen “waving” at the rescue helicopter.

“I can’t remember finding someone alive after so many days,” said Stig Hope, the area’s Red Cross operations leader.

Geir Arne Sunde, head of the trauma centre at Haukeland hospital where Luhn was airlifted, said Luhn had seriously injured his leg on the first evening of the hike, which meant he then could not move. It was “both unusual and encouraging” that Luhn had been found in such good condition, he added.

Luhn was a foreign correspondent in Moscow for more than 10 years before becoming a climate reporter. “We have said goodbye to too many friends since Russia invaded Ukraine,” says Anna Nemtsova, a fellow journalist. “All of us felt gigantically relieved. Alec’s resilience gives us hope.”

The five-day rescue operation was halted many times because of heavy rainfall caused by Storm Floris, which hit the west coast of Norway on Monday. A Danish man and a Norwegian man, both in their 60s, were found dead on Tuesday night in Norway’s Jotunheimen region after being reported missing. It is believed they were caught out by the stormy weather.