A Russian tourist was rescued yesterday, Thursday, from a glacial crevasse by two local guides, reports Vísir. The incident took place on Sólheimajökull glacier in south Iceland. Many tourists and hikers visit Sólheimajökull glacier every year because of its striking beauty and easy access.
The man and his wife had been hiking unaccompanied on the glacier when the accident happened. Moments before, the two guides had ordered the couple to descend down from the glacier because they clearly lacked the proper equipment and experience to be on the glacier alone.
Ævar Ómarsson and his fellow guide were heading back down from the glacier with a group when they noticed the man’s wife signalling for help. The man had broken through a thin layer of snow and fallen into a deep crevasse filled with ice-cold water. “It would have been risky to go out onto the ice to save him. However, my colleague managed to get a little closer as the man clawed himself up far enough for us to grab him and pull to safety. Had his wife not been with him, no one would have seen or heard him. Sound gets very muffled from inside glacial crevasses,” Ævar said.
The Russian man escaped the incident unharmed.
A recent fatal accident at Reynisfjara beach involving a Chinese citizen and another one in Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park provoked an ongoing discussion in local media about traveller safety in Iceland. Changeable weather conditions and harsh natural surroundings can pose a threat to the inexperienced.
A Russian tourist was rescued yesterday, Thursday, from a glacial crevasse by two local guides, reports Vísir. The incident took place on Sólheimajökull glacier in south Iceland. Many tourists and hikers visit Sólheimajökull glacier every year because of its striking beauty and easy access.
The man and his wife had been hiking unaccompanied on the glacier when the accident happened. Moments before, the two guides had ordered the couple to descend down from the glacier because they clearly lacked the proper equipment and experience to be on the glacier alone.
Ævar Ómarsson and his fellow guide were heading back down from the glacier with a group when they noticed the man’s wife signalling for help. The man had broken through a thin layer of snow and fallen into a deep crevasse filled with ice-cold water. “It would have been risky to go out onto the ice to save him. However, my colleague managed to get a little closer as the man clawed himself up far enough for us to grab him and pull to safety. Had his wife not been with him, no one would have seen or heard him. Sound gets very muffled from inside glacial crevasses,” Ævar said.
The Russian man escaped the incident unharmed.
A recent fatal accident at Reynisfjara beach involving a Chinese citizen and another one in Silfra fissure in Þingvellir National Park provoked an ongoing discussion in local media about traveller safety in Iceland. Changeable weather conditions and harsh natural surroundings can pose a threat to the inexperienced.
