() – At least one person has died and two others are missing after an ice cave partially collapsed while a group of tourists were visiting the Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southern Iceland.
In a statement posted on social media, local police said rescuers received a call shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday when a group of about 25 foreign tourists of various nationalities were exploring ice caves when four people were hit by the ice.
Two people were seriously injured, one died from his injuries at the scene of the accident, another was transported by helicopter to a hospital in the capital, apparently in stable condition.
A large number of rescuers worked throughout the afternoon and evening to search for the two missing people. The operation was suspended at dusk due to dangerous conditions, but will resume in the morning, police said.
Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported that efforts to transport equipment and personnel to the glacier had proven difficult due to the rugged terrain and that ice cutting was mostly done by hand using chainsaws.
Local news site Visir said the group was on an organised tour of an ice cave and was accompanied by a guide, but most people were outside the cave when it collapsed. The ice cave is a popular destination for tourists.
The collapse was likely unrelated to a volcanic eruption in southeastern Iceland on Friday, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the glacier.
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