More safety measures planned after fatal Stuðlagil fall

Safety and infrastructure improvements have been a focus at Stuðlagil, a gorge that has become one of Iceland’s most popular tourist destinations, mbl.is reports. Two people have died there since 2024.

A foreign tourist fell into the Jökla river at Stuðlagil on Monday and was later found dead a short distance from where he entered the water.

Tour guide Auðdís Tinna Hallgrímsdóttir witnessed the incident. Speaking to mbl.is, she said safety measures at the gorge were inadequate, while stressing that her criticism was not directed at farmers in the area.

Stuðlagil attracted about 200,000 visitors last year, and 174,000 people have visited so far this year. It is the most visited tourist destination in eastern Iceland.

“Our first reaction when something like this happens is naturally shock, and our thoughts are with those who are grieving,” Tourism Director General Arnar Már Ólafsson told mbl.is.

He said Stuðlagil had received considerable attention regarding planning and safety since its popularity grew rapidly. About 550 million Icelandic krónur has been allocated to the area through the Tourism Site Development Fund to support infrastructure, improve visitor safety and protect the natural environment from damage caused by tourism.

Accidents at Stuðlagil are rare, Arnar said, but can have serious consequences. The Icelandic Tourist Board focuses heavily on prevention and, when incidents occur, works with police, landowners and emergency responders to review what happened.

“The police investigation is still under way, and we will sit down together to review the incident. At present, we do not know what happened,” Arnar said.

Marteinn Óli Aðalsteinsson, a farmer and landowner on the eastern side of Stuðlagil, said improvements at the site would take time but that considerable work had already been completed. Further projects are planned for the winter.

These include a staircase leading down into the gorge, which will make it easier to close access when ice forms or the river rises. Safety fences are also planned along the paths leading to Stuðlagil.

Marteinn said, however, that people could still enter areas that had been closed if they were determined to do so.