Two cabin guards in Langidalur valley in Thórsmörk, a popular outdoor recreational area in south Iceland, had to drive a tractor into the river Krossá on Sunday to save a Swiss couple in a rental car. The driver had wanted to propose to his girlfriend in the river.
“It didn’t look good,” Kristín Thórhallsdóttir, one of the cabin guards, told Morgunbladid. “They couldn’t get out, the water went up to their chests and they couldn’t see anything because of the big waves and thus didn’t know whether they were submerged in water or not.”
“The girl tried to save their valuables and didn’t understand why her boyfriend only watched his jacket. Then a small box floated out of the jacket and the guy opened it. There was a ring inside,” Thórhallsdóttir continued.
“He asked the girl to marry him—they both thought it was their final moment—and she said she would only marry him if he saved their lives. Then we arrived in the tractor and dragged them out of the river.”
Thórhallsdóttir said this was probably the first couple to get engaged in Krossá river. A large BBQ party was held in their honor in the evening and the couple was offered free accommodation at the cabin in Langidalur.
According to Thórhallsdóttir, there is currently a lot of water in Krossá and it is difficult to cross with cars. She advises travelers to Thórsmörk to park by the river and use a footbridge instead.
