American journalist found after going missing on hike in Norwegian national park

Veronika Silchenko via CNN Newsource

By Sophie Tanno

(CNN) — American journalist Alec Luhn, who went missing while hiking in a Norwegian national park, has been found alive, according to the Norwegian Red Cross.

Luhn was found near Folgefonna National Park by helicopter crew and has been taken for medical treatment, the organization wrote on X Wednesday.

“We are very, very happy! Many thanks to everyone in Norway who has helped to find him,” Luhn’s wife Veronika Silchenko told local news outlet VG by phone after her husband was found.

The journalist was found with some injuries to his legs, according to Svein Buer, an emergency manager for Hardanger police.

Rescue teams found him at 11.34 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the Norwegian Red Cross said. He was conscious, but tired when he was found, and expressed great relief, according to the organization.

“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,” Stig Hope, a Red Cross volunteer and head of the operations leadership team at Folgefonna, said.

Luhn, a climate journalist from Wisconsin, was reported missing by his wife on Monday, after he failed to board his flight home.

Silchenko previously told CNN she had last spoke to Luhn on Thursday, as he was setting off on his hike. However, due to the fact that phone signal can be patchy in the wilderness, she did not become overly concerned until days later.

The Norwegian Red Cross wrote on X earlier Wednesday that the search for Luhn had resumed Wednesday morning, and that a large team of volunteers had been mobilized, including specialized climbing teams and drones.

The search operation for Luhn began Monday and was expanded by Tuesday. Ingeborg Thorsland, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Red Cross, earlier told CNN that the operation spanned a large area and that heavy rainfall had made navigation difficult.

The 38-year-old has worked for outlets including National Geographic, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Atlantic. He is currently based in London, after living in Moscow and Istanbul.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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