The tourist who died when hit by a car in South Iceland on Saturday night, was a Chinese male, born in 1971, according to the Facebook page of the South Iceland Police. He lived in Hong Kong.
He was part of a group of ten Chinese tourists, who were traveling the country in two cars. Investigation of the accident has revealed that shortly before the accident, the group parked the cars on Sólheimasandur beach, close to a track that leads down to the US Navy cargo plane wreck, dating back to 1973, which has become a popular destination among tourists.
The cars were parked off the road with all lights off. It is thought that the deceased stepped out of the car, along with another tourist, to observe the northern lights.
The Chinese Embassy has been in charge of communication between the police and relatives of the deceased.
The plane wreck became more popular than ever following the release of a music video by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber last summer, in which he appears on top of the wreck. In order to get to the site, tourists must park their cars on the shoulder of Ring Road 1 and walk down to the wreck. The gravel road that leads there was closed to traffic earlier this year, following incidents of off-road driving.
The speed limit where people park their cars is 90 km/hr (56 mph), and there are no warning signs by the road, alerting drivers of the possibility of pedestrian traffic.
Police Inspector Víðir Reynisson, who was interviewed by RÚV following the accident, believes the police must discuss with the Icelandic Road Administration the possibility of reducing the speed limit at the site while it remains such a popular destination. That, he said, is true for other popular destinations as well. Every effort must be made to reduce the risk of accidents.
