Icelandic authorities halted the search on Monday for any survivors of an ice cave collapse that occurred the previous day, which resulted in one fatality and one injury. The decision was made after it was confirmed that all members of the tourist group were accounted for.
Initially, a large-scale rescue effort involving around 200 responders was launched to find two individuals thought to be missing. However, after reviewing the tour operator’s records, police determined that only 23 people had been on the tour, not 25 as initially reported.
Rescuers continued to clear the collapsed ice to ensure no one remained trapped.
The operation began on Sunday at around 3 p.m. local time, after reports of the cave collapse at Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southeastern Iceland. One man died at the scene, and a woman was airlifted to a hospital in Reykjavik. Both victims were American citizens.
The search, suspended overnight due to dangerous conditions, resumed at 7 a.m. on Monday. Footage showed rescuers working within two large craters surrounded by sand-covered ice.
By day’s end, authorities concluded that no one else was missing, attributing the initial confusion to incorrect information about the number of tourists on the excursion.
The Association of Icelandic Mountain Guides has called for a thorough investigation and stricter regulations on ice cave tours, emphasizing the heightened dangers of glacier trips during the warmer summer months.
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