An incident occurred in southern Iceland when an ice cave partially collapsed at the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, killing one tourist and leaving two more missing.
A group of 25 tourists, along with the guide, was on an organized tour of the glacier on Sunday when the incident happened. Four members of the group were trapped under the ice during the collapse, local authorities say. While two of the trapped were quickly rescued, one of them succumbed to their injuries at the scene. The other injured person was hospitalized in Reykjavik, where they are reportedly in stable condition.
Rescue operations involving the Icelandic Coast Guard and Danish Navy were dispatched to the remote location near the popular glacial lagoon, Jökulsárlón. Due to the challenging terrain, rescue teams had to rely on handheld tools to break through the ice, as larger machinery could not be brought to the site.
However, the search for the two remaining missing tourists was temporarily suspended on Sunday evening due to weather conditions. Authorities confirmed that efforts would resume on Monday.
The Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, an outlet of the larger Vatnajökull glacier, is a well-known tourist attraction in Iceland, drawing visitors from around the world. This incident occurred just days after a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, though officials have stated that the collapse is unrelated to the volcanic activity, which is located some 186 miles from the site of the cave collapse.
With input from Skynews, DW, AlJazeera, The Washington Post, CBS News
