Norwegian Rescue Diver Killed in Attempt to Save Young Girl

 

The Norwegian sea rescue society Redningsselskapet reported Saturday that it has lost one of its own - a boat crew member who was killed while attempting a rescue in Norway's Lofoten archipelago.

On Friday afternoon, the rescue boat RS 125 (named "Det Norske Veritas") was called to respond to a fishing charter boat that had capsized in Nappstraumen, the waterway between the islands of Flakstadoya and Vestvagoya in Lofoten. On the distressed vessel, there were four adult tourists, two children and a fishing guide, all in need of rescue. 

Six people climbed up on the keep and were saved, according to NRK, but one young girl was still in the water. Rescue boat crewmember Adrian Willyson Brask (36) dived in to search for the last victim, and he tragically lost his life. The girl remains missing. 

"He died while performing the most important task a rescue boat crew can have - to try to save another life," said Grete Herlofson, general secretary of Redningsselskapet. "On a day like this, our thoughts go first and foremost to Adrian's family - his wife, his little daughter, his friends and colleagues - and to the family that still misses one of their own."

Brask's friends have set up a fundraiser for his family at https://www.spleis.no/project/453253.

RS 125 is a 22-meter rescue boat built in 2003. It was badly damaged in a rescue attempt in January 2024 when the crew tried to save a fisherman near Stamsund, Norway. The victim did not survive, and the rescue craft required a year in shipyard for repairs, supported by sponsor DNV.