A hunter was found alive yesterday after an extensive search in East Iceland since Friday night, RÚV reports. The man went ptarmigan hunting with his dog on Friday and failed to return before dark when the weather had changed for the worse. He had no GPS device along and had accidentally left his cell phone behind, making him hard to locate.
The weather cleared for a while yesterday morning, and a group of rescue workers on a snowmobile finally spotted the man, who is a physician in his thirties, at 10 am, where he was walking with his dog. Although the man was very cold, he was not injured. He was transported, first to Egilsstaðir and then to Reykjavík, by the Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter. You can see a video of him here where he gets off the helicopter in Egilsstaðir and another where he is reunited with his family. He dug himself a shelter in the snow both nights and then began walking again with the dog in the morning.
More than 400 people took part in the search effort, in one way or another, with 360 rescue workers from all over the country searching the mountains in difficult conditions, having to go through waist-deep snow in bad weather. The Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter transported rescue workers and search dogs to the area. A facility was set up in Egilsstaðir Grade School, where workers were given meals and a place to sleep between shifts.
Only two weeks ago, rescue workers saved two ptarmigan hunters who went missing in the mountains in the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
