01/08/09, 14:26:50 UTC

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Hike fatal for Dutch tourist

aftenposten.no

Norway’s great outdoors is scenic and accessible, but can also be dangerous and even deadly. A Dutch tourist was the latest victim of slippery rocks near a waterfall.

The 43-year-old man from the Netherlands had been reported missing over the weekend, after he failed to return from a mountain hike in Geiranger.

Search and rescue workers found his body Monday morning in the river known as Flydalselva.

"He apparently slipped, fell into the water and was caught in the waterfall," said Ole Bjørn Harang of the Sunnmøre Police District.

The Dutch tourist was in Norway on holiday with his wife and two children. On Sunday, he went hiking from Flydal to the lake called Flydalsvatnet, from which he sent a text message to his wife saying he expected to return around 7pm.

He never did, and crews from the Red Cross and a search and rescue helicopter took part in the search.

Badly injured up north
Meanwhile, in northern Norway, a 22-year-old man was badly injured after falling 50 meters off a mountain cliff near the top of the gondola Fjellheisen in Tromsø.

It was difficult for rescue crews to reach the man, who lives in Tromsø, and thick fog made it impossible to use a helicopter. An alpine rescue team along with Red Cross workers made their way down a steep and narrow trail but couldn't carry him up again.

He finally was put on a stretcher that in turn was tied to the bottom of the cable car, which then carried the injured man down to the bottom of the mountain with him hanging under it.

A Czech tourist fared better last week, when she was found after getting lost while on a hike south of Svartisen.

The 22-year-old woman had taken a different trail from her partner, and was finally found in the middle of the night on Wednesday by a Sea King rescue helicopter that used a special camera equipment. She was cold, but uninjured.

 Printable Version  | published Jul 16, 2007