[ad_1]
A deadly ice cave collapse in Iceland has raised security issues and prompted requires stricter guidelines for vacationer expeditions that may be particularly harmful in the summertime.
An American vacationer died after an ice cave collapsed on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southeastern Iceland on Sunday. One other girl, additionally from the USA, was injured within the collapse.
World Affairs Canada stated it has no studies of any Canadian residents being affected within the collapse.
“We’re involved with native authorities and stand prepared to offer consular help to Canadian/Australian residents if wanted,” GAC spokesperson Kevin Candy, advised World Information in an e-mail on Tuesday.
A big-scale search and rescue operation was referred to as off on Monday after police decided that each one 23 individuals on the ice cave tour have been accounted for.
Einar Sigurdsson, who was among the many first responders, stated given the quantity of ice that fell within the collapse it was a “large blessing” that solely two individuals have been struck.
The collapse occurred in an ice canyon in one of many largest glaciers in Iceland.
Rescue groups on the scene after an ice cave partially collapsed, on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier, in southeastern Iceland, on Monday.
STOD2/ Vilhelm Gunnarsson through AP
The Affiliation of Icelandic Mountain Guides referred to as for a full investigation and tighter laws on ice cave excursions. Glacier journeys throughout the hotter summer season months will be very harmful, the affiliation stated.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and around the globe, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
M Jackson, a glaciologist, stated the accident was a “fully avoidable tragedy” and ought to be a “get up name” for the nation.
“The concept that corporations are bringing vacationers to this glacier in the summertime to see ice caves is extremely dangerous and harmful,” Jackson advised World Information in an interview.
Ice caves are holes and channels that undergo the glacier, which turn into unstable in the summertime, she stated.
“Glaciers inherently are harmful, they usually’re solely going to get extra so with rising climatic modifications,” Jackson stated.
“Within the years to return, we’re going to see glaciers which can be much more unstable, however on the similar time, we’d see extra of those tragedies.”
She stated the federal government ought to step in and regulate this type of tourism to stop future tragedies.
“There can’t be ice cave tourism in the summertime on glaciers.”
A NASA examine revealed within the Science journal last year predicted that the world’s glaciers may lose as a lot as 40 per cent of their mass by 2100 because of local weather change.
The Iceland accident has additionally forged a harsh gentle on an business that promotes spectacular excursions that may be extra harmful in the summertime as a result of glaciers shift and soften extra shortly.
Sigurdsson, who’s each a primary responder and a mountain information, stated he doesn’t danger excursions in lots of the ice caves throughout the summer season.
But he acknowledged the uncertainties and potential risks concerned in such expeditions.
“That may be very laborious to know every part that is occurring within the ice. It’s actually alive. I’d say that is among the extra harmful a part of mountain guiding,” he advised World Information in an interview.
Rescue groups on the scene after an ice cave partially collapsed, on the Breidamerkurjokull glacier, in southeastern Iceland, on Monday.
STOD2/ Vilhelm Gunnarsson through AP
Ice caves are a preferred vacation spot for guests to Iceland, with tour operators providing prospects the prospect to “discover the insides of glaciers” and see the blue color and “gorgeous patterns” within the ice.
Glaciers cowl about 11 per cent of Iceland, an island nation within the north Atlantic that sits on the southern fringe of the Arctic Circle.
The most important is Vatnajokull, which covers 7,900 sq. kilometers. Breidamerkurjokull is a tongue of Vatnajokull that ends on the Jokulsarlon Lagoon, the place icebergs continually break off from the glacier.
The glacier is about 300 kilometres from a volcano that erupted Friday on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland.
— with recordsdata from World Information’ Eric Sorensen, Kam Razavi and The Related Press
© 2024 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
[ad_2]
Source link
