Three British Indians dead in horrible Iceland road crash

Friday 28th December 2018 07:09 EST
 
 

Three British tourists, including a child have been killed after a 4x4 crashed while crossing a bridge in Iceland. Police authorities said four other people, including two children, were critically injured during the incident that occurred at 9.30 in the morning, when the vehicle drove through a barrier on the one-lane bridge at Skeiðarársandur, and landed on a riverbank. Adolf Erlingsson, a tour guide who was among the first on the scene said, “It was horrible. The car seemed to have hit the ground many metres from where it stopped. We struggled getting everyone out.”

He estimated the car had fallen about five or six metres from the bridge and said it was a “total wreck” when he arrived at the scene. “The driver must have lost control somehow and it went through the railing.” Erlingsson added, “Conditions were quite good, maybe a bit wet. It was just about freezing, but I didn't detect any ice on the road.” The vehicle involved was a rented seven-person Toyota Land Cruiser, that careered off the bridge over the Núpsvötn river. The crash occurred in an area that was “the most popular destination on the south coast”.

The scene was soon reached by emergency personnel giving medical assistance on rocky ground beneath the bridge, along with local police, two helicopters that were called from a coastguard station, while another flew from Reykjavik. Chief Superintendent of south Iceland Police Sveinn Kristjan Runarsson said the four people hospitalized have serious injuries. “We haven't been able to talk to them about what happened,” he said.

The crash took place on Road No. 1, which runs for 1,337 kilometers (830 miles) as it connects coastal towns and villages on this volcanic island of 350,000 people. The UK’s Foreign Office advises visitors to Iceland to take particular care when driving on gravel and loose surfaces. It says distances between towns can be great and driving can take longer than expected.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said, “We are supporting the family of several British nationals who were involved in a road traffic accident in Iceland and are in close contact with the Icelandic authorities.”


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