A group of tourists standing on top of the Rjukanfossen waterfall in the Telemark region on Sunday morning became witnesses to the incident when they suddenly heard a “loud thump” further down the waterfall, followed by the sound of ice hitting the ground.
“The tourists managed to make contact with a person down in the waterfall and called out to him,” police officer Ole Jörgen Lund told Norwegian broadcaster TV2, who said the man had been climbing together with another person who was not injured in the incident.
According to police the climber had still been alive after falling on the ledge, but that he had hurt his back and had likely also suffered internal injuries.
For hours, rescuers scrambled to get to the man, but the ledge was too small for a helicopter to land.
The man died soon after voluntary climbers were able to reach him.