The Norwegian public service company NRK has also been confirmed by Svalbard's assistant, the Norwegian government's highest representative on the archipelago, that two people are missing in the area. In connection with the two persons reported missing, there has been information that a snowfall has taken place.

- It is not yet certain that it is a race that has happened, but there are two people missing. We found out just before 15 o'clock, says Terje Carlson, who is the communicator for the governor of VG.

Local authorities must have sent helicopters and patrols with avalanche dogs to the area to search for the people.

Svalbard is an archipelago located north of Scandinavia in the northernmost parts of the Atlantic. Barentsburg is a mining town and is the second largest community in the archipelago after Longyearbyen, with 450 inhabitants. The resort is controlled by the Russian state-owned mining company Trust Arcticugol.

The text is updated.