Norwegian police announced on 31 October 2026 that a body found in Norwegian waters belonged to one of three Czechs reported missing after a fishing boat accident in September 2026 [1][2][3]. Consular assistance was confirmed by Czech Foreign Ministry spokesman Adam Čörgő: “Our consul in Oslo is in contact with the local police and standard consular procedures are under way in the matter.” [2] According to the police, relatives in the Czech Republic have been notified [2][3].
The search
According to the Czech News Agency, four Czechs rented a boat for fishing and set out with it on 18 September 2026 from the island of Averøy in western Norway; they were due to return to the mainland before dark [2][4]. When they did not return at the agreed time, a large-scale search began, which also involved a helicopter [2][4]. Rescuers found one body already during the initial search. The police assumed that the remaining three men had also died, and the authorities ended the search operation at the beginning of October 2026 [2][4]. According to iDNES.cz, the capsized boat was found near the Grip archipelago [1]. What happened at sea remains unclear [2][4].
The find and the state of the case
According to iDNES.cz, the man now found had been carried by sea currents towards the Lofoten islands, and Norwegian police discovered him near the municipality of Vestvågøy, more than 600 kilometres north of the site of the accident as the crow flies [1]. Espen Andrésen, operations commander of the Møre og Romsdal police district, said that two people had still not been found. He described a resumption of the active search as unlikely: “The police will not take any further steps in this matter at present unless new facts emerge.” [1] According to iDNES.cz, which cites a report by NRK, the Norwegian media have reopened the discussion about the safety of maritime tourism through the case. The state commission for the investigation of accidents proposes stricter rules for boat rentals and mandatory tracking devices on board [1].
“The police will not take any further steps in this matter at present unless new facts emerge.”
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 31 October 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 31 October 2026
- Echo24 — 31 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 31 October 2026