A German man in his sixties who was travelling with his wife in Iceland was pronounced dead at a Reykjavík hospital on Sunday.
Lost control of vehicle in storm
According to a statement from the Police in South Iceland the couple suffered a serious road accident on Thursday when a mini SUV and camping trailer they were driving was blown off the road in a violent storm. The man suffered critical injuries in the accident and was immediately taken along with his wife, who suffered less serious injuries, to the National University Hospital in Reykjavík by a Coast Guard helicopter.
Police in South Iceland has announced that the man was pronounced dead on Sunday. His wife has been released from the hospital.
The accident took place on the Ring Road in the Öræfasveit region in South East Iceland shortly after noon on Thursday. Driving conditions at the time were extremely challenging due to strong wind gusts. The couple was driving a mini SUV while pulling a camping trailer. The man lost control of the car in one of the powerful gusts, with the result that the car and trailer were blown off the road.
A dangerous region
Öræfasveit is the region in the foothills of Öræfajökull glacier, the southernmost tip of Vatnajökull glacier, roughly extending from Skaftafell visitor center in the Vatnajökull National Park to the east of Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in South East Iceland, is one the windiest parts of Iceland. Powerful wind gusts and violent storms in the region have caused numerous road accidents.
Dangerously powerful winds in three other regions have also caused numerous accidents. These are the Eyjafjöll mountain range east of Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Reynisfjall mountain west of the village Vík in South Iceland, the mountain sides of Hafnarfjall and Esja mountains in West Iceland and the Snæfellsnes peninsula. During storms individual wind gusts in these regions frequently reach hurricane force, easily blowing cars off the road.
A German man in his sixties who was travelling with his wife in Iceland was pronounced dead at a Reykjavík hospital on Sunday.
Lost control of vehicle in storm
According to a statement from the Police in South Iceland the couple suffered a serious road accident on Thursday when a mini SUV and camping trailer they were driving was blown off the road in a violent storm. The man suffered critical injuries in the accident and was immediately taken along with his wife, who suffered less serious injuries, to the National University Hospital in Reykjavík by a Coast Guard helicopter.
Police in South Iceland has announced that the man was pronounced dead on Sunday. His wife has been released from the hospital.
The accident took place on the Ring Road in the Öræfasveit region in South East Iceland shortly after noon on Thursday. Driving conditions at the time were extremely challenging due to strong wind gusts. The couple was driving a mini SUV while pulling a camping trailer. The man lost control of the car in one of the powerful gusts, with the result that the car and trailer were blown off the road.
A dangerous region
Öræfasveit is the region in the foothills of Öræfajökull glacier, the southernmost tip of Vatnajökull glacier, roughly extending from Skaftafell visitor center in the Vatnajökull National Park to the east of Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in South East Iceland, is one the windiest parts of Iceland. Powerful wind gusts and violent storms in the region have caused numerous road accidents.
Dangerously powerful winds in three other regions have also caused numerous accidents. These are the Eyjafjöll mountain range east of Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Reynisfjall mountain west of the village Vík in South Iceland, the mountain sides of Hafnarfjall and Esja mountains in West Iceland and the Snæfellsnes peninsula. During storms individual wind gusts in these regions frequently reach hurricane force, easily blowing cars off the road.
