A lake on Biskupsháls in Mývatnsöraefi wilderness near Grímsstadir in northeast Iceland flooded last night, tearing a 200-meter-long hole in the Ring Road, which encircles the island. The flood flipped a 40-ton truck on its side although the driver escaped unharmed.
According to eyewitnesses, the flow of water from the lake suddenly turned into a fierce river which ran down the slope of Biskupsháls and alongside the road. The water then ate through the ground underneath the paved layer, Morgunbladid reports.
The truck from transport company Flytjandi, carrying a full load of fish with a total weight of around 40 tons, came to a halt where the flood had created a hole in the road.
The driver and a police officer who had arrived at the scene, stood by and watched the truck sink into the waterlogged road. About 15 minutes later the flood had hollowed out the road beside it and then flipped the vehicle over with its motor still running.
The police officer said he believed the flow of water would spread out on the plains below Biskupsháls after crossing the road and flow towards Grímsstadir (a farm, weather station and tourist stop) and that it wasn’t dangerous anymore.
Police planned to guard the road last night because foggy conditions made it difficult for motorists to realize what the conditions were like. Road administrators were hoping to be able to fix the road and make it passable again later today.
