An American journalist has gone missing on a Norwegian glacier in Forgefonna National Park while on a solo backpacking trip, according to his family.
Alec Rune, 38, was reported missing to Norwegian authorities after failing to return from a hike in southern Norway on July 31, which also led to him missing a flight back to the UK, as revealed by his wife, Veronica Silchenko.
As reported by CBS News, Rune, an award-winning climate journalist, had taken a vacation with family before his hike. He typically shares his location with his family during such excursions.
Initially, his family wasn’t overly concerned given his experience in the outdoors. They figured he might just be out of cell range. However, concern grew when he didn’t show up for his flight home on Monday night, prompting them to alert the police.
Silchenko mentioned that Alec had sent pictures from his last known location in Odda on Thursday, saying, “It was the last time I’d heard from him.”
“Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic,” Silchenko told CBS News. “He loves glaciers and snow, he loves explorers. As a climate journalist, he notes how much they’ve been shrinking due to climate change, so he’s always curious about the coldest regions.”
Originally from Wisconsin, Rune resides in London with his wife. He contributes to various publications including the Guardian, The New York Times, and National Geographic, among others.
The search for him hit some obstacles due to inclement weather, which caused helicopter operations to be halted on Monday night, according to police.
Tatyana Nappen from the West Police District explained that the weather worsened around midnight, making it impractical to continue the search in the mountains.
On Tuesday, volunteer search teams, police, sniffer dogs, and drones continued to update their search efforts but had to pause again because of the weather. The Norwegian Red Cross reported that the search remained active throughout Tuesday, though they acknowledged that the local terrain made the situation particularly challenging.
