Patrik Jagunic is back home in Slovenia, just a week after being caught in an avalanche while skiing in the mountains of Lyngen in Northern Norway. Jagunic survived more than seven hours of being buried under the snow, and can thank rescue crews and especially a dog named Whisky for being able to meet his family again.
“It was a moment of pure joy, and happiness,” he told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), when his wife and three children could welcome him home this week after his harrowing experience on March 18. He had earlier told Norwegian media that thinking about his family had helped him fight for survival, initially by using “one finger, then two” to scrape away some of the snow surrounding him.
After being able to create an air pocket, and then enough space to get to his mobile phone, he could ring for help. Rescue crews were already on the scene, and one of their border collies named Whisky found the spot where they should start digging. They found Jagunic alive, a meter-and-a-half under the snowmasses, more than seven hours after the avalanche hit.
After a relatively short hospital stay, the Slovenian could fly home, along with a stuffed version of Whisky. Another person in his entourage of seven was not found and has been declared dead. Much of Northern Norway has been battered by avalanches caused by snowstorms that later have turned to rain.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
