Two polar bears spotted near Laugarfell in East Iceland

Police in East Iceland received a report today of two polar bears spotted near Laugarfell. Search operations have been suspended for the night due to darkness, but will resume tomorrow morning if weather conditions allow.

The alert came around 4 PM from two foreign tourists who reported sighting the bears approximately 300 meters away from their location, near Kirkjufoss. The tourists fled the area in fear but provided crucial information about the bears’ whereabouts.

Kristján Ólafur Guðnason, a chief police officer, informed that the search teams have already investigated the area mentioned by the tourists. Later communications indicated that traces of the tourists were found at the site, but no indications of the bears or other large animals were located.

A Coast Guard helicopter was deployed to survey the extensive area using night vision equipment, but nothing was found. The search radius includes areas with various rock formations and snow, which can obscure visibility, possibly contributing to the difficulty in identifying the bears.

With darkness setting in, the search has officially paused but will continue at dawn for safety reasons.

According to information from the Icelandic Wilderness Center in Fljótsdal, there were no guests at the Laugarfell lodge, which closed around the end of last month. The area has seen considerable tourist traffic, particularly from those visiting the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant and other nearby attractions.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History provides educational resources on polar bears, noting that these animals have been encountered in this region before.