Kirkjufell is the new Reynisfjara
A terrible accident happened in Kirkjufell yesterday where a man fell and lost his life. mbl.is/Gunnar Kristjánsson
A man died in an accident on Kirkjufell in Grundarfjörður yesterday but in the past few years there have been several fatal accidents and rescue teams have had to rescue people that have either been trapped or had an accident.
„Walking up Kirkjufell at this time of year is like going to the skating rink in Laugardalur. It’s one of the most dangerous mountains in the country, especially at this time of year. If you go 1-2 meters away from the troughs, you have no foothold and you can slide off the cliffs,“ said Eyþór Garðarsson, who is in the regional administration of Snæfellsnes, as a representative of the Björgunarsveitin Klakkur in Grundarfjörður.
Garðarsson wants the mountain closed at a certain time, keeping it open only during the summer when it is dry. He wants to fine people who go up the mountain when it is closed. He says that this has been done successfully in Switzerland and other European countries where there are mountains that are dangerous to climb.
„The government needs to realize that Kirkjufell is the second Reynisfjara in Iceland. We are putting first responders in danger by keeping the mountain open. The local community would not be able to cope if some rescue team member or an ambulance crew were to go down in an attempt to rescue tourists. We tend to forget when we talk about dangerous areas.“
