28 Desember 2018 12:58

The individuals involved in a traffic accident at Núpsvötn yesterday are all British citizens. The individuals were two brothers traveling around Iceland with their families.  The deceased were two women born 1982 and 1985 and an infant born 2018.

The cause of the accident is unknown and under investigation by the police and the investigative committee for transport accidents. It is clear that the car was driven past the cameras at Hvolsvöllur early that same morning. The car was driven to the east, along the Sudurlandsvegur road, and seems to have turned on the bridge with the result that it went on top of the railing of the bridge, to the right, following it for a short distance and then turned over off the rail and the bridge. There, the car fell down on the ground beneath the bridge.

It was possible to reach the vehicle by a small track further east on the sand and to conduct rescue operations with ambulances and rescue equipment close to the bridge. Rescue operations were extensive and involved a considerable number of individuals. The responder came all the way from Höfn to the east and from Selfoss to the west, as well as from response units from Reykjavík, who were transported with two helicopters from the Icelandic Coast Guard. Meteorological conditions for on-site rescue were reasonable with heavy rainfall coming from further west. The Coast Guard used the third engine to guide helicopter pilots on the ground because of the level of flight visibility as well as to ensure on-site communications. Responders on approaching the site both from east and west, announced slippery road conditions on the way.

We kindly ask those who possibly have information about the accident to contact us by phone 444 2010, on Facebook or by email at sudurland@logreglan.is

We want to thank all those involved in the operation for their work, big and small. The reaction of the responders stands out in this difficult matter and it is clear that the strength is great when everyone act as one.