The Norwegian police have called off the search for three missing Czechs from a fishing boat that capsized off the Norwegian island of Averøy. No bodies have been found, but the police consider the men dead. The Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported this.[1][2]
Course of the search
A group of four Czech men set out to sea from the island of Averøy on 18 September 2026. When the boat did not return at the agreed time, a large-scale rescue operation began, involving helicopters, the coast guard, a rescue vessel and other craft. The capsized boat was found the following night.[1][3] One of the men was found dead during the original search.[1][3]
Rescuers searched the waters around Averøy, then the coast of the island of Smøla about thirty kilometres from where the boat was found, and finally the Grip archipelago. The area, which the police described as difficult, was defined on the basis of sea currents; drones were used as well.[1][3] Investigator Eirik Andre Sæther said, according to NRK, that the police had searched all the places where they expected to find the missing men and had no further area where continuing the search would make sense. If new information emerges, the search may be resumed.[3]
Investigation of the cause
It is unclear what happened at sea. The police are waiting for the results of a technical examination of the boat and for the autopsy of the man who died.[1][3] They questioned the operator of the rental company, which according to NRK is based in the Czech Republic; no one has been charged or named as a suspect. NRK tried to contact the rental company to ask what training the Czechs had received before setting out, but was unsuccessful.[1][3]
Wider context
Norwegian media reported that local authorities are considering stricter rules for renting recreational boats. Among other proposals, fishing boats would be required to carry tracking devices.[1][3] In 2026, seven foreign fishing tourists have died in Norway, including the four Czechs from this case. The broadcaster TV2 said that three earlier victims come from an accident in May in the Nordmøre region; the Czech foreign ministry said at the time that two of those three dead were Czechs.[1][2]
Chronology
- — Norwegian police ended weeks of searching for three missing Czechs from a fishing boat that capsized on 18 September near the Norwegian island of Averøya, and now consider all four men aboard to be dead. iDNES.cz ČTK / České noviny
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 4 October 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 4 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 4 October 2026