The Icelandic Coast Gard and members of ICE-SAR battalions in Reykjavík rescued a foreign hiker on Friday evening. The man was at an impasse in the steep slopes of Mt. Helgafell south of the suburban municipality Hefnarfjörður and was unable to get back to safety on his own in the darkness of night.
At ten on Friday evening ICE-SAR received a distress call from a foreign traveler who was hiking alone somewhere in the lava fields south of Hafnarfjörður. The man was unable to say where exactly he was. He was not hiking on a marked path, and after the sun set and darkness set in he was unable to figure out what direction to take. The weather was far from ideal for hiking, and in addition to being lost the man was both cold and beaten by the weather.
Several dozen members of ICE-SAR battalions in the capital region were participating in training exercises near Reykjanesbraut highway, close to Mt. Helgafell where the hiker believed he was. Since the area is difficult to traverse and the slopes of Helgafell very steep, the Coast Guard dispatched a rescue helicopter to help find the man.
According to the local news site Vísir the man was located with the help of infrared cameras. The man had been located shortly before eleven. He was picked up by the helicopter which dropped him off at the side of the nearest road, where he was met by members of ICE-SAR who gave him dry clothes and escorted him to safety.
The Icelandic Coast Gard and members of ICE-SAR battalions in Reykjavík rescued a foreign hiker on Friday evening. The man was at an impasse in the steep slopes of Mt. Helgafell south of the suburban municipality Hefnarfjörður and was unable to get back to safety on his own in the darkness of night.
At ten on Friday evening ICE-SAR received a distress call from a foreign traveler who was hiking alone somewhere in the lava fields south of Hafnarfjörður. The man was unable to say where exactly he was. He was not hiking on a marked path, and after the sun set and darkness set in he was unable to figure out what direction to take. The weather was far from ideal for hiking, and in addition to being lost the man was both cold and beaten by the weather.
Several dozen members of ICE-SAR battalions in the capital region were participating in training exercises near Reykjanesbraut highway, close to Mt. Helgafell where the hiker believed he was. Since the area is difficult to traverse and the slopes of Helgafell very steep, the Coast Guard dispatched a rescue helicopter to help find the man.
According to the local news site Vísir the man was located with the help of infrared cameras. The man had been located shortly before eleven. He was picked up by the helicopter which dropped him off at the side of the nearest road, where he was met by members of ICE-SAR who gave him dry clothes and escorted him to safety.
