A young Chinese woman was swept out to sea by waves at Reynisfjara beach yesterday and was found dead later that afternoon. Three other women were also swept off their feet by the waves but managed to reach land.
At 2.30 pm yesterday, National Emergency Operators were notified that a person in Reynisfjara had been carried out to sea by a sneaker wave. Emergency responders were dispatched immediately. Local search-and-rescue squads began searching for the young woman as soon as they arrived at the site, as well as on boats from Vestmannaeyjar and Árnessýsla, and the Icelandic Coast Guard’s helicopter. Later that afternoon, the helicopter discovered the woman’s body in the sea off the Reynisfjara coast. The South Iceland Police Commissioner’s investigative department is now investigating the events leading up to the accident.
A guide in Reynisfjara who witnessed the accident told RÚV that around 150-200 people were at the black sand beach, which is a popular tourist attraction, and that several people were standing close to the water.
This is not the first fatal accident at Reynisfjara, and authorities have taken steps to try to prevent such incidents.
