Tragedy at Breidamerkurjokull: Fatal ice cave collapse in Iceland

At least one person has died, and two are still considered missing after a partial collapse of a cave on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southern Iceland.

Rescuers received the first emergency calls about the dangerous situation in the ice cave on Sunday, August 25. A group of about 25 tourists from various countries was exploring the cave when falling ice stalactites struck them.

Two people exploring the ice cave were seriously injured by falling ice. One died at the scene, and the other was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Reykjavik. Her condition is described as stable.

The search for the two missing persons continued throughout Sunday afternoon until evening. After nightfall, the operation had to be suspended, but, as reported by local police, the search resumed on Monday morning. On Sunday, the rescue effort involved rescuers, speleologists, police officers, and civil service workers. About 100 people were involved in total. Helicopters were also used to assist.

Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported that transporting equipment and people to the glacier presented numerous difficulties. Among the main reasons cited was the uneven terrain. Additionally, clearing passages through the ice required manual labour using chainsaws.

One of the tourists who previously explored the cave told RUV that a loud crack was heard when they surfaced, but he learned about the accident only from the media after returning to the hotel. According to the man, the cave was about 3 to 5 metres deep.

The Breidamerkurjokull glacier is located within Iceland's Vatnajökull National Park. Since 1989, the Vatnajökull ice cap, one of the largest on the continent, has lost about 150 to 200 cubic kilometres of ice.