|
Listen to article
|
A group’s adventure to a glacier in south Iceland turned deadly when a sudden ice collapse claimed the life of a visiting tourist, leaving the community reeling in shock, as reported by local news channels.
Though the incident claimed one life, a second tourist, who was also caught in the ice collapse, has been hospitalized with injuries that are not critical. Meanwhile, a massive search operation is underway to locate two more travelers who remain missing, leaving the community holding its collective breath.
Due to treacherous conditions, rescue teams have been forced to halt their search for the two missing travelers on the Breidamerkurjökull glacier until dawn breaks, leaving the anxious wait to continue in the morning.
While exploring the frozen wonders of an ice cave on Sunday, a group of 25 travelers, led by a seasoned guide, were caught off guard when a sudden ice collapse sent shards of ice plummeting down, plunging the group into chaos.
In a race against time, emergency responders sprang into action, painstakingly working by hand to locate the missing individuals, after receiving a distress call at 14:55 on Sunday alerting them to the devastating ice cave collapse.
“The conditions are very difficult on the ground,” said local police chief Sveinn Kristján Rúnarsson. “It’s in the glacier. It’s hard to get equipment there… It’s bad. Everything is being done by hand.”
On Sunday, a massive rescue effort was underway, with a staggering 200 individuals joining forces to aid in the operation.
Read also: Anambra State Plagued By Escalating Gunmen Attacks On Police
In a televised interview, Chief Superintendent Rúnarsson revealed that authorities had hit a roadblock in their attempts to establish communication with the two individuals who remain unaccounted for.
While the conditions were “difficult”, the weather was “fair”, he said.
Chief Superintendent Rúnarsson emphasized that the ill-fated cave excursion was comprised entirely of international tourists, and preliminary assessments indicated that there was no apparent reason to suspect the trip would pose a risk.
“Ice cave tours happen almost the whole year,” he 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.”
Chief Superintendent Rúnarsson described the scene, saying that people were congregated in a ravine, nestled between two cave mouths, when disaster struck – an ice wall crumbled, releasing a torrent of frozen debris.
Breidamerkurjökull, a sprawling glacial tongue, connects the massive Vatnajökull glacier to the breathtaking Jökulsárlón lagoon, harboring a trove of glittering ice caves that have become a magnet for tour operators and thrill-seekers.
