Missing skier found dead
The Czech skier who was reported missing on Monday afternoon has been found dead in a crevasse on Skilfonna in the south of Spitsbergen.
It is Czech citizen Miroslav Jakeš (75) who has been found dead in a crevasse on the Skilfonna glacier in Sør-Spitsbergen National Park. His name is being released in consultation with his relatives. He was found 20 meters down in the crevasse by the Governor's rescuers on Thursday.
Miroslav Jakeš had extensive experience from Arctic and Antarctic expeditions over a number of years.
The Governor of Svalbard received a report of concern about the missing man on the afternoon of Monday 6 April. The man was on a trip alone and heading towards Sørkapp. He had last been in contact with the outside world on the evening of Thursday 2 April.
The Governor sent a helicopter to search for the man on Monday evening without success. The search was resumed on Tuesday, but due to challenging weather conditions, the helicopter could not land in the area. However, visual findings of ski tracks and a ski pole were made on the edge of a crevasse on Skilfonna. The main hypothesis was that the skier had fallen into the crevasse, probably before the weekend. On Wednesday afternoon, it was therefore decided to end the rescue operation and switch to searching for the presumed deceased.
On Thursday morning, weather conditions improved, and the Governor sent a rescue helicopter to try to find the man. The deceased was located and, through a lengthy operation, was lifted from the crevasse and transported to Longyearbyen Thursday afternoon.