Látrabjarg. Photo: Páll Kjartansson/Iceland Review
Látrabjarg is the westernmost part of Iceland and famous for its beauty and bird life. Many tourists visit it each year. This is the first time that a tourist has fallen down according to Jónas Sigurdsson, policeman at Patreksfjödur, the nearest village took part in an attempted rescue operation.
In olden times when people went for eggs in the steep cliffs accidents were frequent. In 1926 two men died going down the sea cliff for eggs.
Sigurdsson said that it was hard to say what happened exactly. “You always have to be careful when you go close to the edge. The puffins may have dug holes below the surface.” He said he could not say whether the edge had given in.
A rescue team about 60 men strong came to the scene in addition to police. The man fell approximately 150 meters down. The Coast Guard Helicopter and a rescue boat from Patreksfjördur came too, but all to no avail.
