A tourist trapped in an avalanche in northern Norway was rescued after spending seven hours under the snow, an exceptional survival duration, Norwegian media reported on Wednesday, March 19.
Described as forty or fifty, the man was found, aware, about 1.5 meters deep in the snow in the municipality of Lyngen shortly after midnight.
Trapped in an avalanche, almost seven hours had passed in an air pocket from which he had called the police.
“It was very surprising that he was life,” said Kristian Midtgård to TV2, the rescuer who, with his dog whiskey, found it. “All statistics and experience say it is not possible when you remain buried so much,” he added.
“A miracle”
The mayor of Lyngen, Erik Larsen, cited by Nrk Radioteline, praised “a miracle.”
“People who survive an avalanche are the same in the ten minutes,” said a researcher at the University of Tromsø, Audun Hetland, with the Itromsø newspaper. “Some survive more time. But seven hours, it is almost unique in history,” he added.
The man was part of a group of three foreign tourists who walked skiing in a region where the authorities warned, the risks of avalanche are high.
Another trio member, caught in the snow flow, was swept in the waters of a fjord below. Returning to Earth, he could give the alert.
The investigation continues to find a woman, always missing. The nationality of tourists is not known at this stage.
Source: BFM TV
