Winds tear roof loose and free ship from its quay

A roof was blown off a house in Ólafsfjörður, while a fishing vessel broke free from its berth in Akureyri during strong winds on Friday evening, mbl.is reported.

Rescue teams in Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður were called out shortly before 9pm after reports that a roof was coming off a house. A second call followed about a broken window in another house. A rescue team in Dalvík also responded to a request for help after wind damage there, according to a Facebook post by police in North East Iceland.

The most challenging incident involved Vilhelm Þorsteinsson EA 11, a pelagic vessel owned by Samherji, which broke free from its berth at the port of Krossanes in Akureyri. When responders arrived, the vessel was hanging by one mooring line after bollards on the quay had broken.

The Akureyri harbor pilot and the Súlur rescue team were called out. Despite rough conditions in the harbor, the pilot helped get crew members aboard and start the engines. The vessel was then taken out of the harbor and moored at Oddeyrarbryggja quay. No damage to the ship is believed to have occurred.