Two Danish men and the six-year-old son of one of them have been found dead, floating in a remote lake just over the border of the Femund wilderness area that extends from central Norway into Sweden. Their canoe capsized in the chilly waters of Lake Rogen while they were out fishing.
News service Rørosnytt reported that their canoe overturned far from land. Police in the Swedish county of Jämtland said the men had rented the canoe at Rogen on July 14 and were supposed to return it on July 22. Local newspaper Östersunds-Posten wrote that the three were reported missing on Wednesday when they failed to return as agreed.
Norwegian police in Sør-Trøndelag and a Norwegian search and rescue helicopter took part in the search that was launched immediately. A Swedish helicopter, a civilian helicopter, police using specially trained dogs and volunteers also took part in the search for the missing Danes.
Their canoe was found around 7pm Thursday and the three bodies were retrieved later in the evening by the Norwegian Sea King helicopter. All three were wearing life-vests, reported Rørosnytt, and one of the three was an experienced outdoorsman who had been in the area several times earlier.
Temperatures recently have been falling to just 5C (40F) in the area, however, and the water temperature was down around 10C. Winds can pick up suddenly and the lake can then be considered dangerous.
Rogen is often used by canoeing enthusiasts because of its many bays and islands but is also difficult to access. The entire area known as Femundsmarka, much of which is part of a national park in Norway with no roads, is renowned for its unspoiled wilderness areas. It stretches along the large Lake Femund that extends from the county of Sør-Trøndelag south to Hedmark.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund