Rescue operation ended – searching for presumed deceased
The Governor of Svalbard has been searching for a missing Czech skier on a solo trip since Monday afternoon. In consultation with the Norwegian Search and Rescue Agency, it has been decided that the rescue operation will be ended, and the next phase will be to search for a presumed deceased person. The hypothesis is that the man has fallen into a crevasse on the Skilfonna glacier.
The Governor received a report of concern about the missing man in his 70s on the afternoon of Monday, 6 April. He was believed to be in the Russefjella area southeast of Spitsbergen, about 80 nautical miles south of Longyearbyen. He had last been in contact with the outside world on the evening of Thursday, 2 April. The missing man, who is from the Czech Republic, was on a solo trip heading towards Sørkapp.
The Governor sent a helicopter to search for the man on Monday evening without success. The search was resumed on Tuesday and Wednesday morning with assistance from the Longyearbyen Red Cross Relief Corps, but due to challenging weather conditions, the helicopter could not land in the area.
The Governor and the Norwegian Search and Rescue Agency are now ending the rescue operation, and we are now moving into a phase where a search is being made for a presumed deceased person.
Our hypothesis, based on the information and findings obtained, is that the missing man has fallen into a crevasse on Skilfonna south of Russefjella. The location has been established, but the missing person has not been found. Given the time, circumstances and medical assessments, he is presumed be deceased.
As soon as weather conditions permit, crews will resume the search to locate the presumed deceased man.