The end of the search for missing Czechs off Averøy is a decision by Norwegian police to stop looking for three men from a fishing boat that sank in the sea off the island of Averøy in western Norway. Police announced that they consider all four men on board, who were Czech nationals, to be dead, although three of them have not been found.[1][2]
The accident
The four men set out in a fishing boat from the island of Averøy on 18 September 2026.[3] When the vessel did not return at the agreed time, a large rescue operation began, involving helicopters, the coast guard, a rescue vessel and other craft.[3] The following night rescuers found the boat capsized, keel up, and next to it the body of one of the men.[1][3] According to novinky.cz, he was the commander of a fire brigade unit from the Trutnov area, whom colleagues described as an experienced firefighter.[3] Police are waiting for the results of the autopsy.[1]
The search
Rescuers gradually searched the waters around the island of Averøy, then the coast of the island of Smøla, roughly 30 kilometres from the place where the boat was found, and then concentrated on the area of the Grip archipelago.[1][2] The search area was determined by sea currents, and police described it as demanding.[1] Drones were also deployed in the search.[2][3] According to NRK, investigator Eirik Andre Sæther said that rescuers had searched all the places where they expected the missing to be found, but “we have not managed to find three of the men and at this point we no longer have any further area in which it would make sense to search”.[3] According to police, the search can be resumed if new information emerges.[3]
Investigation and consequences
The cause of the accident is still being investigated; police are waiting for the results of a technical examination of the boat.[3] They questioned the operator of a boat rental company based in Czechia, but no one has been charged or is a suspect.[1][2][3] According to its own information, the broadcaster NRK tried in vain to contact the rental company with questions about the training the men had undergone before setting out.[1][2] Norwegian media reported after the accident that local authorities are considering tightening the rules for renting out recreational boats, including introducing tracking devices on fishing boats.[1][2][3]
According to Norwegian sources, a total of seven foreign fishing tourists died in Norway in 2026, including the four Czech victims of this accident.[1][2] The broadcaster TV2 said that the three earlier victims came from an accident in May 2026 in the Nordmøre region.[1][2] The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time that two of the three dead were Czechs.[1][2]
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 4 October 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 4 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 4 October 2026