A woman died Wednesday after falling roughly 200 metres into the gorge of Glymur waterfall, visir.is reports. The woman died instantly, according to search and rescue members deployed to the scene. She and her partner, both tourists in their 20s, were hiking by the waterfall at the time of the tragic accident.
Conditions around Glymur, Iceland’s second-tallest waterfall, are dangerous at this time of year. It was difficult for volunteers from the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) to reach the woman due to the ice accumulated in the gorge and along the cliffs on either side of the waterfall, spokesperson Jón Þór Víglundsson told Vísir.
Ásmundur Kristinn Ásmundsson, West Iceland deputy chief of police, confirmed the height of the fall and said police were investigating the incident, as well as trying to contact the woman’s relatives.
Jón Þór noted that the area around the Glymur, located at the end of Hvalfjörður, can be dangerous for tourists not accustomed to Icelandic nature or experienced with hiking, especially in icy conditions. The path to the waterfall lacks safety barriers or chains marking the edge of cliffs.
Jón Þór stressed that the accident also highlights the need for wider improvements across the country, saying that there are numerous tourist sites where safety measures need to be improved. He called for greater efforts to ensure that tourists can visit these popular destinations safely.
Tourist fatalities have happened on occasion as more people visit Iceland’s rugged nature. One man compiled a map to track the locations where fatal tourist accidents have occurred.
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