One American tourist dead in Iceland following ice cave collapse

Hira Humayun and Sharon Braithwaite, CNN

(CNN) — One American man is dead, and an American female is injured successful Iceland pursuing a illness of nan Breiðamerkurjökull crystal cave, Iceland’s nationalist broadcaster RUV said Monday.

The rescue operation, which started Sunday evening, is now complete, pinch constabulary saying nary much group are trapped nether nan ice, according to nan nationalist broadcaster.

Local constabulary said a group of 25 visitors from respective countries were exploring an crystal cave astatine nan Breiðamerkurjökull glacier successful southeastern Iceland erstwhile nan incident occurred soon earlier 3 p.m. Sunday. Four group were struck by falling ice.

The American mates were rescued connected Sunday, but nan man was pronounced dormant astatine nan scene, while nan female sustained injuries of chartless severity and was taken to a infirmary successful Reykjavík, RUV reported.

More than 200 responders participated successful nan operations, and a monolithic magnitude of crystal has been surgery down and moved, almost each by hand, RUV said, citing nan police. CNN has reached retired to constabulary for details.

A US State Department spokesperson confirmed nan decease of 1 US national and nan wounded of another, saying that they were “ready to supply consular assistance.”

“We connection our sincerest condolences to nan family and loved ones connected their loss,” nan spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not supply specifications connected nan circumstances of nan decease and wounded aliases accusation astir either of their identities. The State Department typically does not supply individual accusation astir Americans killed aliases injured abroad.

Ice caves are a celebrated destination for visitors to Iceland, pinch circuit operators offering customers nan chance to “explore nan insides of glaciers” and spot nan bluish colour and “stunning patterns” successful nan ice, according to Associated Press.

Glaciers screen astir 11% of nan territory of Iceland, an land federation successful nan northbound Atlantic that sits connected nan confederate separator of nan Arctic Circle, AP reports. The largest is Vatnajokull, which covers 7,900 quadrate kilometers (3,050 quadrate miles). Breidamerkurjokull is simply a lingua of Vatnajokull that ends astatine nan Jokulsarlon Lagoon, wherever icebergs perpetually break disconnected from nan glacier.

According to nan US Geological Survey, nan Breiðamerkurjökull was increasing until nan move of nan 19th century, but since astir 1930 it has been pouring owed to planet-warming fossil substance pollution.

Local news tract Visir said nan group that was astatine nan cave during nan illness was connected an organized circuit accompanied by a guide. Most group were extracurricular nan cave erstwhile it collapsed, AP reports.

Moving rescue instrumentality and unit up to nan glacier was difficult owed to nan rugged terrain, and rescuers had to trim done nan crystal utilizing chainsaws, says AP.

The glacier is astir 300 kilometers (185 miles) from a volcano that erupted Friday connected nan Reykjanes Peninsula successful southwestern Iceland.

Iceland has been affected by human-caused ambiance alteration and has been warming astir 3 times faster than nan remainder of nan planet, according to nan Icelandic Met Office.