The foreign traveler who fell down cliffs near Goðafoss waterfall on Sunday afternoon was an Israeli national, the local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports. The man, who is in his 50s, is traveling in Iceland with his family. The man is being treated for his injuries at the National University Hospital Landspitalinn in Reykjavík.
Read more: Foreign traveler seriously injured in accident at Goðafoss waterfall on Sunday
UPDATE: Israeli man who was injured in accident at Goðafoss waterfall likely to make full recovery
His current condition is not publicly known, nor his chances of recovery as Landspitalinn does not make public comments on the condition of patients. According to first responders the man suffered serious injuries in the fall, including injuries to his head and back. He was not fully conscious when rescuers reached him. He had been lying for 75 minutes in the rocks beneath the cliffs he fell down when rescuers were able to reach him.
Large rescue operation
The man fell down a steep crevice called Hansens-gat.The crevice leads to the inaccessible riverbank. In previous centuries it was possible to climb the crevice, which provided an access point to the river bank, but in modern times the riverbank can only be accessed by ladders or by scaling the cliffs.
The first rescuers to reach the man were members of the ICE-SAR company Garðar from Húsavík village in North Iceland. A total of 60 ICE-SAR first responders participated in the operation.
Dangerous conditions
Guides and local authorities have on repeated occasions warned that conditions around Icelandic waterfalls can be very dangerous, and that visitors all too often take unnecessary risks to get closer to the edge to view the waterfalls, rivers and canyons up close. Conditions at Goðafoss have frequently been named in this regard. Sunday's accident will hopefully remind everyone to proceed with extreme care when visiting these waterfalls.
Please stay safe!
The foreign traveler who fell down cliffs near Goðafoss waterfall on Sunday afternoon was an Israeli national, the local newspaper Morgunblaðið reports. The man, who is in his 50s, is traveling in Iceland with his family. The man is being treated for his injuries at the National University Hospital Landspitalinn in Reykjavík.
Read more: Foreign traveler seriously injured in accident at Goðafoss waterfall on Sunday
UPDATE: Israeli man who was injured in accident at Goðafoss waterfall likely to make full recovery
His current condition is not publicly known, nor his chances of recovery as Landspitalinn does not make public comments on the condition of patients. According to first responders the man suffered serious injuries in the fall, including injuries to his head and back. He was not fully conscious when rescuers reached him. He had been lying for 75 minutes in the rocks beneath the cliffs he fell down when rescuers were able to reach him.
Large rescue operation
The man fell down a steep crevice called Hansens-gat.The crevice leads to the inaccessible riverbank. In previous centuries it was possible to climb the crevice, which provided an access point to the river bank, but in modern times the riverbank can only be accessed by ladders or by scaling the cliffs.
The first rescuers to reach the man were members of the ICE-SAR company Garðar from Húsavík village in North Iceland. A total of 60 ICE-SAR first responders participated in the operation.
Dangerous conditions
Guides and local authorities have on repeated occasions warned that conditions around Icelandic waterfalls can be very dangerous, and that visitors all too often take unnecessary risks to get closer to the edge to view the waterfalls, rivers and canyons up close. Conditions at Goðafoss have frequently been named in this regard. Sunday's accident will hopefully remind everyone to proceed with extreme care when visiting these waterfalls.
Please stay safe!
