Photos: Skaftárhlaup glacial river flood through the years

The glacial river floods known as Skaftárhlaup began in 1955 although testimonies of older occurrences exist. From 1955 there have been fifty floods in the Skaftá river, almost one per year. 

Morgunblaðið's photographers have captured this majestic event through the years which can be seen in the accompanying photographs. 

In the year 2000 a group of people became trapped in the Skaftárdalur valley. Farmers often lose sheep during the flooding, damage is done to farmland, roads are destroyed and bridges can collapse. 

A glacial river flood began yesterday in the eastern Skaftá glacier river in Iceland’s  Vatnajökull glacier. People are strongly advised to keep away from the area. 

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