Emergency workers in southern Iceland are working hand in hand to rescue two foreign tourists who went missing after an ice collapse during a glacier trip, police say.
First responders received the call about the collapse of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier just before 15:00 (GMT in Iceland) on Sunday.
The two missing people were among the 25 people who had gone to visit the ice cave with a guide. Two people were seriously injured in this incident.
“The conditions on the ground are very difficult,” said local police chief Sven Kristján Rúnarsson. “It’s in a glacier. It’s hard to get equipment up there… it’s bad. Everything is done by hand.”
Local news outlets reported that 200 people were engaged in rescue operations that would continue into the night.
Speaking on Icelandic TV, Chief Superintendent Runarsson said police had been unable to contact the two missing people.
“We don’t know what the situation is, but the two others who were rescued are badly injured,” he said.
He said that although conditions were “difficult”, the weather was “good”.
Confirming that all those involved were foreign tourists, he said there was no indication that the cave should not have been visited.
“Visits to ice caves continue almost throughout the year,” he said.
“These are experienced and strong mountaineer guides who run these trips. It’s always possible to be unlucky. I trust these people to assess the situation – when it’s safe to go or when it’s not safe, and a lot of good work has been done here over time. This is a living land, so anything can happen.”
The police chief was quoted as saying that the people were standing in a ravine between the mouths of the caves when the snow wall collapsed.
Breiðamerkurjökull is a glacial tongue that extends from the Vatnajökull glacier to the Jökulsárlón lagoon. The glacial tongue is famous for its ice caves, where groups offer excursions.
