Overnight search for tourist ends well

Rivers were swelling in the highlands last night.

Rivers were swelling in the highlands last night. Photo/ICE-SAR

A man, whom rescue workers had searched for in the Central Highlands of Iceland since last night, was found safe and sound at 2 am. He was traveling alone and was found in a tent in Jökulgil canyon, located between Landmannalaugar and Torfajökull glacier, RÚV reports .

Rescue teams in South Iceland were called out after emergency signals were received from an emergency transmitter in the Fjallabak area, between 7 and 8 pm last night, more specifically from the area north of Torfajökull glacier.

A yellow weather alert had been issued for the Central Highlands yesterday. Near Landmannalaugar, winds were blowing at 15-20 m/sec last night, with sleet and snow in the mountains, making conditions for search efforts difficult.

According to information from Davíð Már Bjarnason, media representative for the Icelandic Search and Rescue Association, about 190 rescue workers took part in the search. The last teams returned home around 6 am.

The man had stayed put in his tent, since the weather was extremely bad in the area. His condition was good when rescue workers found him and brought him to a populated area.

There was heavy rain in the central highlands yesterday, accompanied by swelling rivers, Davíð related.

If you plan a hike in the mountains, always leave a travel plan behind at safetravel.is . On that website, you can find essential information on how to stay safe in the mountains. The weather changes rapidly in Iceland, at any time of year. You can follow the weather forecast at en.vedur.is .

From last night's search effort.

From last night's search effort. Photo/ICE-SAR

Weather

Light snow

Today

-1 °C

Light rain

Later today

2 °C

Overcast

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3 °C

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