Coast Guard helicopter responds to two tourist accidents

A Coast Guard helicopter was called to two tourist accidents almost simultaneously on Monday, mbl.is reported. It was sent first to Hrútagil in Skaftafell, where a visitor was suspected of having broken an ankle, while rescue teams worked to reach another injured tourist near Hafragilsfoss, close to Dettifoss.

Rescue teams from Reykjadalur, Laugar, Húsavík, Kópasker, Mývatn and Akureyri were called to Hafragilsfoss. The first rescuers reached the injured person shortly after 5pm and began preparing to bring the patient out of the ravine.

The accident happened beneath high cliffs on a fairly steep slope. The patient was placed on a stretcher and hoisted up the cliff face directly above the accident site. A six-wheeled vehicle was then used to transport the patient to the top, where an ambulance was waiting to take them to Akureyri Hospital.

The patient in Skaftafell was hoisted aboard the Coast Guard helicopter. The Kári rescue team in Öræfi and the HSU emergency response team in Skaftafell treated the patient. The terrain at Hrútagil was difficult to cross with a stretcher, which was why the patient was lifted into the helicopter.