Rescuers are hunting for a UK-based journalist who vanished in bad weather during a solo hike in a remote national park 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 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 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.
Alec Luhn, 38, (pictured) is an American-born reporter who has worked for several prestigious outlets
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 (File image of Folgefonna National Park)
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
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.
