Two large jeeps plunged into ice-cold water while on their way to the Grímsfjöll mountains on Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest glacier, on Friday, when the ice covering the water suddenly cracked.
One of the jeeps was nearly completely covered by water, but the other one was kept above the surface. The drivers managed to escape out the window, but a rescue service team had to be called to get the cars out of the water. Morgunbladid reports.
The drivers of the jeeps were traveling with a group of 20 people from the Travel Club 4×4. They began their journey on Friday with the goal of reaching Grímsfjöll at some point during the weekend.
The group had not driven far when the accident happened. Jóhannes Ingi Sigurdsson, who drove one of the jeeps, told Morgunbladid that there was not supposed to be any lake in the area where they were driving, which was covered in snow.
Sigurdsson believed some ice on the glacier must have melted to create the water the jeeps fell into. The ice covering it was about 20 to 40 cm thick, he said.
Sigurdsson said his jeep and all his gear, which is worth millions of krónur (ISK one million = EUR 10,841, USD 14,114), are probably permanently damaged. He hoped his insurance would cover it.
Most travelers from the Travel Club continued their journey.
