A group of alert cyclists found a missing 73-year-old man safe between Heerde and Wezep on Sunday morning, June 7, 2026.
The discovery came after a search and rescue operation in the northern Veluwe was suspended due to the presence of wolves.
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Search Suspended Over Safety Concerns
Volunteer teams from SAR Nederland had been searching for the man since his disappearance on Thursday.
Operational safety concerns regarding wildlife led handlers to halt tracking efforts late Saturday night.
The search organization utilized tracking dogs and specialized personnel during the afternoon and evening hours before local conditions deteriorated.
"Trackerteams en zoekhonden zijn ingezet om sporen te vinden, maar helaas is de actie rond 22.00 uur stilgelegd vanwege de aanwezigheid van wolven in het zoekgebied," stated the search team on Facebook.
Local police confirmed the discovery on Sunday morning after issuing a public notice via the Burgernet network.
"De politie Wezep dankt u allen voor het uitkijken naar de 73-jarige man. De man is terecht.
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Nogmaals dank," stated the Wezep police via Burgernet.
The individual was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation immediately after the rescue.
"De vermiste man uit Wezep is zojuist gevonden tussen Heerde en Wezep door een alerte groep wielrenners," said a police spokesperson around 10:35 a.
m. when asked by Omroep Gelderland.
Officials expressed gratitude toward the community and rescue teams involved.
"Hij wordt nagekeken in het ziekenhuis.
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We bedanken iedereen voor het uitkijken en specifiek de zoekteams en alerte wielrenners," the spokesperson added to Omroep Gelderland.
