Three boys between ages 10 and 11 were rescued by the capital area fire department yesterday when they fell through the ice on Elliðavatn, a popular lake near Reykjavík.
The boys had walked out onto the ice, which then broke under them. However, the fire department was able to respond in time, and the boys made it back onto dry land safely, albeit rather cold and wet.
The incident was reported to the fire department around 17:00 this last Monday. By the time the fire department had arrived, the boys had managed to make it to a small island in the lake, from which they were then rescued by the responders.
Sveinbjörn Berentsson, station officer at the capital area fire department, stressed in a statement to Vísir that going out on the ice is always dangerous, and simply staying off the ice is the safest thing to do.
It has also been a warm winter until a recent drop in temperature, meaning that the lake ice had only a short time to form.
The local school the boys attend has also sent advisory notices to parents, warning them of the danger. Teachers are also reported as having discussed the dangerous with their students following the incident.
