According to local authorities, one person has died following the ice collapse during a group tour led by a guide of the Breidamerkurjökull glacier in southwest Iceland.
Newsweek reported that the deceased, an American man, was seriously injured during the collapse and died on the scene. The BBC stated that rescuers took an American woman, who was in a relationship with the man, to the hospital for her injuries. The latter outlet detailed that the woman’s life “is not in danger.”
Officers reportedly disclosed that ice collapsed into a cave on August 25 just before 3 p.m. The group exploring the glacier had 23 people, according to the police’s analysis of the tour’s registration, which incorrectly noted 25.
As of this reporting, an ongoing effort continues to rescue two missing people from the collapse site. The rescuers paused their search at midnight and reportedly resumed at 7:00 a.m. Monday. Hundreds of rescuers have been searching for the two missing explorers.
What Else Is There To Know About The Iceland Ice Wall Collapse?
The ice wall incident is unrelated to the volcanic eruption in south Iceland on August 23.
“Although we think we know the location of the two missing, it is hard to say what amount of ice is between them and the rescuers,” Jón Þór Víglundsson, a spokesperson for a volunteer search-and-rescue association ICE-SAR, told the New York Times. “It is a difficult situation.”
Chief Superintendent of the South Iceland Police, Sveinn Kristján Rúnarsson, addressed the incident on national TV, according to the BBC.
“Ice cave tours happen almost the whole year,” Rúnarsson said. “These are experienced and powerful mountain guides who run these trips. It’s always possible to be unlucky. I trust these people to assess the situation — when it’s safe or not safe to go, and good work has been done there over time. This is a living land, so anything can happen.”
