A single engined aircraft made an emergency landing near the Fimmvorduhals volcano in southern Iceland this afternoon. The plane was flying around the eruption when the pilot made the decision to carry out an emergency landing nearby.
Photos by Agust Rafnsson
According to police in Hvolsvollur, one man was on board the plane and he is uninjured. The Kyndill search and rescue team was first on the scene and reported the incident to police.
The aeroplane is damaged and flight accident investigators are en route to the site along with police.
A very large number of people have chosen to visit the volcano today and many people and cars are still in the area. Police are urgently reminding people to be careful and to look out for their personal safety, but do not see the need for further action at the moment.
I wonder how many people went there on Saturday 27th? Leaving the site around 9PM (Northern route) it seemed like one uninterrupted line of cars all the way back to Reykjavik. A paradise for hitchhikers.
The most amazing sight, in my opinion, is not the eruption itself, though that is already quite spectacular and beautiful. It is the fact that the first time I saw it it was a slit in a valley, spouting fire, and one week later there is a mountain where that valley used to be. So we are witnessing the birth of a mountain. Awesome.
If you have not been there, you absolutely have to go. If you have been there, go again and look at how much higher the mountain has grown since your last visit. It’s a rather humbling experience because even with all of our technology we could never build a mountain in a week.
In times of need and danger, presence of mind is of the essence.
Safety is foremost and Congratulations.