LONDON (AP) — Icelandic police on Monday called off a search for two tourists initially believed missing after an ice cave collapse killed one person and seriously injured another, saying they now believe no one is missing.
Icelandic authorities said they called off the search after reviewing the tour operator’s records and determining that only 23 people were on the trip, not 25 as initially believed.
One person died and another was seriously injured Sunday when the cave collapsed shortly before 3 p.m. local time. Both victims are U.S. citizens, police said.
“A few moments ago, the police officer on site announced that all the ice that was supposed to have fallen on people had been removed,” police said. “It turned out that no one was hiding under the ice.”
Rescuers worked by hand to cut through the remains of the collapsed ice cave as they searched for those believed missing.
The search, which had been suspended overnight due to dangerous weather conditions, resumed around 7 a.m., Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported. Videos showed rescuers working inside two large craters surrounded by ice blackened by sand from the Breidamerkurjokull glacier.
But by the end of the day, they were convinced that a mistake had been made in record keeping and that no one else was missing.
Police said they had received “misleading information” about the number of people on board. Based on the information initially available, it was deemed necessary to continue the search until rescuers were assured that no one was under the ice, police said.
___
Keyton reported from Berlin.
