Rope-access team to search for Lúðvík’s remains

Police in Suðurnes have decided to send a rope-access team into a fissure in Grindavík to search for the remains of Lúðvík Pétursson, who fell to his death there while working in the Hópahverfi district in January 2024, mbl.is reports.

The decision followed a risk assessment of whether it would be safe to send rescuers into the fissure. Before the search begins, crews will clear the entrance to improve access. Police commissioner Margrét Kristín Pálsdóttir said the work was limited but necessary.

The first phase, outlined in a memo prepared for police by engineering firm COWI, involves a visual search using search cameras, lighting and other equipment, while avoiding unnecessary disturbance. COWI recommended dividing the search into four phases, with the scale of the work and the disturbance inside the fissure increasing as the search progresses.

“The rope-access team will go down into the fissure to get a better look,” Margrét Kristín said.

Police aim to complete the first phase by mid-November, depending on progress with the preparations and on suitable weather. Margrét Kristín said no heavy machinery would be used to clear the fissure entrance.