One individual died, two folks stay stranded and one individual was injured after an ice canyon wall collapsed Sunday throughout a bunch tour of a glacier in southeast Iceland, authorities stated.
Emergency companies obtained a name round 15:00 native time {that a} group of about 25 guided vacationers had been exploring ice caves and canyons on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier when the facet of an ice canyon gave method, stated Jon Þór VÃglundsson, ICE-SAR spokesman. volunteer affiliation for search and rescue.
The glacier is a part of Vatnajökull Nationwide Park, one of many largest in Europe, masking practically 5,460 sq. miles.
4 folks had been hit by the falling ice, the Police of Suðurlandi, the native police, said on Facebook. Two of them had been rescued, the police stated.
One sufferer was pronounced lifeless on the scene and the opposite was airlifted to Landspitalin, Iceland’s Nationwide College Hospital, and is in steady situation, the company stated on Fb late Sunday.
Two folks stay trapped, the company stated, and their situation is unclear. Search and rescue operations that had been underway to search out the lacking vacationers had been referred to as off late Sunday, authorities stated.
“The circumstances throughout the search are tough and we at the moment are at the hours of darkness,” the company stated, including that it was harmful to proceed the search at night time. The search will resume within the morning, police stated.
Others within the group had been unhurt, based on police.
It was unclear Sunday night the place the vacationers had been from, which tour firm organized the expedition or what number of guides had been on the journey.
At the very least 150 individuals are concerned within the search and rescue operations, Mr VÃglundsson stated. Crews have a “good feeling” the place the 2 trapped vacationers may be, he stated, however the operation is advanced.
“Though we predict we all know the situation of the 2 lacking, it’s tough to say how a lot ice there’s between them and the rescuers,” Mr VÃglundsson stated. “It is a tough state of affairs.”
Due to the glacier’s precarious location, crews can’t use heavy tools and are as an alternative utilizing hacks, chainsaws and ice spikes to maneuver the ice by hand to “clear the way in which” forward, Mr VÃglundsson stated.
The groups work in groups of 12 and in shifts, he stated.
According to the US Geological SurveyBreidamerkurjokull is an outlet glacier that extends from Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest glacier, in Jökulsárlón Ice Lagoon.
Breidamer Kurjokull is famous due to its ice caves. One of the best time to go to is throughout the winter, based on Adventures.is, an Icelandic tour operator.
VÃsir reported that tour corporations which have signed a contract with the nationwide park are approved to arrange ice cave journeys and glacier walks all year long and that the park “trusts the businesses to evaluate the circumstances.”
Amanda Holpuch contributed reporting.
