1 Tourist Dead, 2 Missing After Sudden Ice Cave Collapse During Group Tour in Iceland

Mar. 15, 2025

A tourist has died and a further two are missing after an accident at an ice cave in southern Iceland.

On Sunday, Aug. 25, local police force Lögreglan á Suðurlandi confirmed a group of 25 people from several nationalities had been visiting the Breidamerkurjökull glacier when an ice cave collapsed, per aFacebookpost.

“A large number of rescuers and responders have participated in the operation,” the translated post read, adding that conditions were “difficult” and the search had been postponed until Monday morning.

A previous Facebook post confirmed police received the call shortly before 3 p.m. local time, and that the group had been with a tour guide.

A group of tourists had been visiting the Breidamerkurjökull glacier when an ice cave collapsed.Landsbjorg.is

Landsbjorg.is

“Others who were in the group are uninjured and are being taken to a mass aid center. Rescue operations are being carried out at the scene,” the translated post stated.

Local police chief Sveinn Kristján Rúnarsson said, perBBC News, “The conditions are very difficult on the ground.”

A stock photo of the Breidamerkurjökull glacier.Getty

Getty

“Ice cave tours happen almost the whole year,” the officer said, according to the BBC.

“These are experienced and powerful mountain guides who run these trips. It’s always possible to be unlucky. I trust these people to assess the situation — when it’s safe or not safe to go, and good work has been done there over time. This is a living land, so anything can happen,” Rúnarsson shared.

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Per theIcelandic National Broadcasting Service(RÚV), a tourist, who did not want to be named, said the cave was about 3-5 meters deep. He said his group heard a crash approximately 10 minutes after they left, but they didn’t see more about the incident until they returned to their hotel.

A stock photo of emerald blue ice and ash in the Crystal Cave, which is part of Breidamerkurjökull.Getty

Per theU.S. Geological Survey, the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue is “one of the largest in Iceland [and] flows from Vatnajökull,” which is the country’s “largest glacier.”

source: people.com