‘Missing’ tourist joins search for herself in Iceland

A woman who was unaware she was officially missing in Iceland joined a search for herself at the weekend.

According to Iceland’s Morgunblaðið news agency, the yet-to-be identified holidaymaker was reported missing on August 26th while on a trip to the North Atlantic nation’s rugged Eldgja Canyon.

The international visitor had stopped at the landmark in the southern part of the country with a tour bus on Saturday afternoon. She went to the toilet to freshen up and change clothes and, upon returning to the group, the tour operator and passengers were unable to recognise her. Moreover, she did not recognise the description of herself when the company filed a missing person report.

Some 50 members of the tour group joined the subsequent search and rescue effort, which was reportedly aided by a helicopter team scrambled by the Icelandic coastguard. Reports said that the effort continued well into the early hours of Monday morning until the woman figured out what had happened and notified local police, prompting a halt of the search.