Boy Alerts Village To Avalanche Danger

Last night a young boy in northwest Iceland discovered a large fissure in the snow above the village of Hofsós, then raised the alarm to protect the community from a potential avalanche. Subsequently, local police closed the Hofsós harbour area to all pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Stefán Vagn Stefánsson, Chief of Police in northwest Iceland, said: “We were notified at 10:20 last night, by someone in the Hofsós rescue squad, that a young boy had told him about a large crack in the hanger above the harbour area.”

“The crack is about 50 meters long, it seems to us, and could be as much as five or six meters deep” Stefán Vagn told Vísir. “The danger is that if the hanger starts to move, the mass behind the hanger could also slide forward.”

Experts from the Meteorological Office are now on site to assess the situation, and Stefán Vagn hopes that today further action can be taken to reduce the danger to the village.

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