American missing in Swiss Alps since March found dead
An American man who went missing whilst speedflying in Switzerland in March has been found dead, police confirmed.
Harrison Fast, 28, went missing on Easter Saturday when speedflying – a combination of paragliding and skiing – with a group of six in the Jungfrau region of the Bernese Oberland.
After a surprise storm the group became separated. Some were able to get to safety themselves, while others were rescued by helicopter. But Fast was never found.
A search operation was launched but had to be abandoned after two days due to bad weather.
Fast’s family in Colorado, US, then organized a further search themselves, to no avail.
The man’s body was finally found last Thursday evening below the Jungfraujoch, Bern police said on Wednesday.
An Air Glaciers helicopter discovered his remains whilst searching for an alpinist who went missing whilst hiking alone on the Eiger, near to the Jungfrau.
“Subsequent identification of the deceased revealed that it is the 28-year-old American reported missing since March 26, 2016,” said police.
Writing on a Facebook page in tribute to Fast, his family said they were “relieved yet deeply saddened” by the discovery.
Fast’s father will travel to Switzerland to bring the body home, they said.
The alpinist missing on the Eiger, a 29-year-old Czech man, was also discovered dead, police said.
Comments
See Also
Harrison Fast, 28, went missing on Easter Saturday when speedflying – a combination of paragliding and skiing – with a group of six in the Jungfrau region of the Bernese Oberland.
After a surprise storm the group became separated. Some were able to get to safety themselves, while others were rescued by helicopter. But Fast was never found.
A search operation was launched but had to be abandoned after two days due to bad weather.
Fast’s family in Colorado, US, then organized a further search themselves, to no avail.
The man’s body was finally found last Thursday evening below the Jungfraujoch, Bern police said on Wednesday.
An Air Glaciers helicopter discovered his remains whilst searching for an alpinist who went missing whilst hiking alone on the Eiger, near to the Jungfrau.
“Subsequent identification of the deceased revealed that it is the 28-year-old American reported missing since March 26, 2016,” said police.
Writing on a Facebook page in tribute to Fast, his family said they were “relieved yet deeply saddened” by the discovery.
Fast’s father will travel to Switzerland to bring the body home, they said.
The alpinist missing on the Eiger, a 29-year-old Czech man, was also discovered dead, police said.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.