– Now we have a drone, from Norwegian People’s Aid in the air, doing a last search before we close for the evening, says police officer at Storslett police station, Christian Garcia de Presno. news spoke to him just before midnight at the Red Cross in Birtavarres central, where the search is being led from. The police in Troms have launched a search operation in the area between Trollvik school and Holmevatnet, in Kåfjord municipality. A man in his 20s has been reported missing after he has not returned from a hunting trip. The man must have been on a trip for two days. On Thursday evening, the police announced that they would end the search for the evening. – The search team has chosen to turn around – it is not justifiable to continue the operation as it is now, says operations manager in the Troms police district, Per Arve Aas, to news around 9 p.m. A party of four people from the Red Cross in Birtavarre were on foot at trip inwards towards Holmevatnet, when they had to turn around at 9pm. – There is a cabin by Holmevatnet and this must have been the man’s place of residence. We are initially looking to get this cabin checked out, the police notified the media at 7pm on Thursday evening. Norwegian People’s Aid Midt-Troms is on its way by car to Birtavarre, with a drone and an ATV on its belts. – These will make an attempt to get into the mountain, when they reach the search site, the police wrote in an update. Operations manager in the Troms police district, Per Arve Aas. Photo: Gunnar Grindstein / news Bad weather in the area: – He is alone A rescue helicopter was sent out from Tromsø earlier on Thursday evening, but they had to turn around and return to Tromsø. The police are reporting bad weather in the area and it is not appropriate to use a helicopter search as the conditions are as of now. Operations manager in the Troms police district, Per Arve Aas, tells news that the person who is missing is a person who is not used to traveling. – As we have been notified, he must be dressed for and prepared for bad weather. Even with Norwegian People’s Aid’s drone in the air, there is little chance of finding the man this evening, police officer de Presno believes. – The weather is challenging. It is heavy snow, strong wind and poor visibility, says de Presno to news at midnight. The search operation is led from the Red Cross center in Birtavarre, where the police, Red Cross and Norwegian People’s Aid were gathered at midnight – Friday night. Photo: Simen Wingstad / news At 9 p.m. the crew had to turn back due to the weather conditions. – There was too much snow to use ATVs, and too little for snowmobiles. Back then, marching on foot was the only option, and it is not justifiable now, says the operations manager. The search operation continues through the night, but the search team must wait for the weather conditions before they can send crews back to the terrain. – We will see if it eventually becomes justifiable to send the rescue helicopter out from Tromsø, he says. Christian Garcia de Presno is a police officer at Storslett police station. He is the police’s local man at the search center in Birtavarre. Photo: Simen Wingstad / news The crews from the Red Cross had expected that the journey into Holmevatnet would take a few hours. – Fresh snow has fallen in the mountain area, and one must therefore crawl to the cabin at Holmevatnet, where he is supposed to be staying. According to Aas, the man is not part of a tour group. – He is alone. The police have been in contact with search crews from the Red Cross, who are on their way into areas where the man is believed to have disappeared. – They report that the trip is going well so far, the weather is calm and there is little wind. But the weather varies, emphasizes the operations manager. This is the assumed route for the search team, between Trollvik school and Holmevatnet in Kåfjord. Photo: Illustration: Hans Ludvig Andreassen / news Mayor: – Hope he has made wise choices news has spoken to the mayor of Kåfjord municipality, Bernt Lyngstad. He hopes the search operation will be successful. – I hope he is doing well, and that he has made wise choices, says Lyngstad to news on Thursday evening. In winter, there is normally a snowmobile trail from Trollvik up into the mountain home where Holmevatnet is located. But the heavy snowmelt has led to bare areas. Lyngstad is known in the area the search team is currently traveling. It is a demanding terrain, especially if you are not familiar with it. But the person they are looking for must be well known in the area, emphasizes Lyngstad. Bernt Eirik Isaksen Lyngstad is mayor of Kåfjord, and lives in Mandalen just south of Trollvik in Birtavarre. Photo: Dan Robert Larsen People’s Aid mobilized It is not currently appropriate to send out a rescue helicopter from Tromsø, due to bad weather in parts of Troms. But they are familiar with the assignment and assess the conditions on an ongoing basis, says Aas. Operations manager Aas says that Nord Folkehjelp will be on a trip to Kåfjord with a drone. – But I am not sure how far they have come on the road. They will then make an assessment as to whether it is possible to fly up with a drone. Published 14.11.2024, at 19.11 Updated 14.11.2024, at 23.53
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Search operation for a man in Nord-Troms – news Troms and Finnmark
