Permanent Closure of Part of Reynisfjara Beach
Here, you can see where the landslide occurred. mbl.is/Hallur Már
Preparations are underway to permanently close the eastern part of Reynisfjara beach, South Iceland, according to Þorbjörg Gísladóttir, head of the Mýrdalshreppur local council, mbl.is reports. The decision comes in the wake of a landslide that occurred there August 20 th .
Luckily, no one was injured, but the previous day a man suffered a broken skull when rocks fell from the same mountain. The area has been closed since then. Þorbjörg is convinced that landslides will continue to occur in this area.
Þorbjörg Gísladóttir, head of the Mýrdalshreppur local council mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
“The conclusion of a meeting we had last week with landowners and representatives from the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management was that we’d put up a chain… to close off the easternmost part of the beach, by the end of the cave, to make it obvious to everyone that this area is closed,” she states. “The most interesting part [of the beach] is to remain open – under and around the basalt columns.”
Ever since August 19, tourists have repeatedly disregarded the closure of the eastern part of the beach. The police have had to put up new police tape daily, since waves have swept the tape away. According to the law, those who disregard such closures can be issued a fine of ISK 100,000-500,000 (USD 800-4,000; EUR 720-3,600).
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