Rescuers save two at Reynisfjara and aid climber on Hafnarfjall

Two people trapped by the incoming tide at Reynisfjara beach were rescued on Saturday, while a separate operation was launched for an individual stranded on Hafnarfjall mountain, mbl.is reported.

South Iceland rescue teams were called out at 5.30pm after a man and a woman became trapped while walking along the cliffs at Reynisfjara. They had failed to take the rising tide into account.

Víkverji, the rescue team based in Vík í Mýrdal, was dispatched first. Additional teams from across South Iceland, from Kirkjubæjarklaustur to the Árborg area, were then called out, along with the Þór rescue vessel from the Westman Islands.

Drones located the pair. Þór soon reached Reynisfjara, while Víkverji brought a small inflatable boat from Vík. The boat was able to land near the people, who were assisted by the crew of Þór and brought to safety. The rescue teams later returned home.

Separate rescue on Hafnarfjall

Shortly after the Reynisfjara callout, rescuers received a request for assistance from an individual trapped on Hafnarfjall. Rescue teams in West Iceland, from Akranes to Borgarfjörður, were called out shortly after 7pm.

The individual’s location indicated that they were high in the mountain range north of Hafnarfjall. Shortly after 8pm, assistance was requested from the Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter, which took off at about 8.45pm. The individual was to be brought down to the rescue teams’ vehicles.