Two Finnish adventurers were rescued from the ice between Uleåborg, Finland and Luleå, Sweden on Saturday morning following a dramatic search operation that involved military aircraft from an ongoing NATO exercise. According to reports from Swedish media, the men had embarked on a cross-country skiing trip across the frozen sea when they became stranded after the ice cracked around their tent during the night, causing their equipment to fall into the water. The adventurers managed to escape to more stable ice and used an emergency beacon to alert authorities at approximately 7:00 AM.
A major rescue operation was launched involving Finnish aircraft and helicopters, as well as a Swedish SAR helicopter from Umeå. Due to difficult search conditions and the ongoing NATO exercise Cold Response 26 in the area, two Swedish JAS Gripen fighter jets were deployed to assist in the search. The men were reportedly located at 10:30 AM after they spelled out "SOS" using ice blocks on the frozen sea surface, approximately 45 kilometers from the Finnish coast.
search conditions were difficult due to the broken ice creating alternating patterns of light and dark water from above
Both adventurers were successfully rescued by Finnish rescue services.