Despite extremely difficult circumstances, numerous rescue workers and police officers succeeded overnight in saving a foreign couple trapped in the Nesskriður mountain slope, east of Siglufjörður, North Iceland. The couple, a man and a woman in their thirties, had hiked from Héðinsfjörður fjord and were headed for Siglufjörður, but faced difficult conditions, RÚV reports.
A statement from the Northeast Iceland police describes access to the area as tough, due to steep mountains, rising from the ocean. Police were alerted around midnight and requested the assistance of rescue teams from Siglufjörður, Ólafsfjörður, Dalvík and Akureyri. Altogether, between 30 and 40 rescue workers took part in the operation, along with police.
This was a dangerous effort with rescue workers being transported by boat to the mountain. A drone was used to help check conditions and a possible access. For a while, there were plans to call out a helicopter, because of the challenging circumstances, but those plans were canceled. By using lines and by climbing towards the couple, the rescue team finally reached them at 2 am.
The couple was brought to shore in Siglufjörður at 5 am. They were unhurt, but shocked after the ordeal. On their Facebook page, the Northeast Iceland police wrote, “Once again, the equipment, training and experience of our superb rescue teams have brought people to safety.“
Here is a picture of Nesskriður, where the tourists were trapped, and you can view more photos of the area here.
