One person has died, two people remain trapped and one person was injured after an ice canyon wall collapsed Sunday during a group tour on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southeastern Iceland.
The incident, which occurred during a guided tour, resulted in the death of one tourist, while another was injured and airlifted to the hospital. Rescue efforts, involving over 150 personnel, are ongoing but challenging due to harsh conditions and the difficulty of accessing the location. The search was paused overnight due to safety concerns, and will resume at dawn.
Search and Rescue Challenges
The rescue teams face significant obstacles in reaching the trapped individuals due to the glacier’s treacherous terrain.
Heavy equipment cannot be used, so rescuers are manually clearing ice with tools like chainsaws and ice picks.
Despite these difficulties, rescuers remain hopeful, as they believe they have located the missing tourists but are uncertain about the depth of ice covering them.
Breidamerkurjokull Glacier: A Popular but Dangerous Destination
The Breidamerkurjokull glacier, part of Iceland’s Vatnajökull National Park, is renowned for its stunning ice caves and is a popular destination for adventurous tourists.
However, Sunday’s event highlights the inherent risks of glacier exploration. The glacier is famous for its beautiful but unstable ice formations, which can pose serious dangers to visitors, even under guided supervision.
Icelandic authorities, including local police and the ICE-SAR volunteer search-and-rescue association, are leading the rescue efforts. They have emphasized the importance of assessing safety conditions before such excursions, especially in unpredictable environments like glaciers. This incident serves as a sobering reminder of the risks involved in exploring natural wonders.
