Difficult operation

Iceland: Ice cave collapses, tourists missing

The ice cave is located on Breiðamerkurjökull, a foothill of the Vatnajökull glacier (picture).

(Bild: AFP)

On Sunday afternoon in Iceland, an ice cave popular with tourists suffered a serious icefall. A wall of the cave collapsed, two people were seriously injured and two others are still missing.

The ice cave is located on Breiðamerkurjökull, a foothill of the Vatnajökull glacier. The accident occurred while around 25 people were in the cave with trained mountain guides. 

Several missing and injured
According to local media reports, the search is still on for at least two missing persons, who are believed to be tourists. Around 100 rescue workers, including specialized cave rescuers, and helicopters were deployed, as reported by the broadcaster RÚV.

All available rescue teams from the southland were gathered at the remote location, as well as police, ambulances and fire engines. The coordination center of the Icelandic Civil Defense was activated in the capital Reykjavik.

A video on Twitter shows the entrance to the ice cave - probably not for people with claustrophobia ...

Helicopters on standby for the injured
A spokeswoman for the authorities said that the conditions on the glacier were very difficult. There is still no contact with the two people trapped in the ice, a senior police officer told RÚV. The two rescued tourists had suffered serious injuries. One injured person had been flown to a hospital in the capital Reykjavik, and three helicopters were standing by for other injured people. A tourist who had visited the cave a few minutes earlier, but only heard about the collapse on his return to the hotel, told RÚV that it was only three to five meters deep.

Breidamerkurjökull in the south-east of the Atlantic island is the outlet of the Vatnajökull glacier, which lies on the Jökulsarlon glacier lagoon. The lake with its floating icebergs is one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions and was the location for famous Hollywood films such as "James Bond 007 - In the Face of Death" and "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie. Numerous hikes through ice caves are offered in the region.