Tourists Rescued After Cars Nearly Submerged On Holtavörðuheiði

Two cars of tourists got into trouble last night while travelling up Holtavörðuheiði. A large section of the road flooded after a drain became blocked, causing the vehicles to be nearly submerged in water, reports RÚV.

Borgarfjörður rescue teams were called out after the tourists contacted authorities from Kattarhryggir. When rescuers arrived, the passengers had managed to escape their vehicles and climb onto the roofs for safety.

According to a statement from Landsbjörg, the situation was serious. “There was so much water on the road that a rescue worker, using a safety line, had to swim to one of the cars, where two tourists were on the roof and couldn’t go anywhere. One tourist had managed to get to dry land from the other car on their own,” the statement said.

The rescue operation was successful, and the passengers from the second car were safely brought to land. By 17:30, all the tourists had been taken by ambulance for medical attention.

As a result of the flooding, Holtavörðuheiði was closed due to rising water levels.