Rocks the size of washing machines fall onto East Iceland road

Large rocks, some as big as washing machines, fell onto the road through Kambaskriður in eastern Iceland late Thursday night or early Friday morning, mbl.is reports.

Hinrik Þór Einarsson, a foreman with the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration in Reyðarfjörður, told mbl.is that he received a call shortly after 7 a.m. about the rockfall. A contractor was then sent to clear the road.

“There were several large rocks that fell onto the road. To help people who do not have a sense of the size and weight of these stones, we try to compare them with household appliances. In this case, I mention washing machines and microwaves, which were scattered across the road,” Hinrik said.

He said the situation had become common during autumn rains, which loosen the rocks, and described it as troubling. Rockfall protection measures in the area had been under consideration for a long time but had repeatedly been postponed for financial reasons.

“We have often had large boulders come down there, some the size of a Toyota Yaris. There would be no need to ask how it ended if they hit cars,” Hinrik said.