Two tourists rescued from Lake Þingvallavatn
Lake Þingvallavatn. mbl.is/Sigurður Bogi
Two tourists fell into Lake Þingvallavatn in South Iceland this morning.
Three divers were sent to rescue them. The lake is extremely cold and can be very dangerous as cramping rapidly occurs when people fall in. The men's condition is very serious.
The two men were part of a group of tourists staying near the lake. Their boat had drifted and one fell into the lake. When the second tried to save him he couldn't swim any longer due to the cold.
Þingvallavatn is a rift valley lake and is Iceland's largest lake. People are often unaware of how dangerous it can be due to changeable weather and the extreme cold of the water. The lake is also very deep and has lots of underwater crevasses.
Update at 17:30: Confirmed information from the South Iceland Police states that the two tourists were a man and a woman who were fishing in the lake. Owners of a nearby summer cottage were able to get to them and get them to land. The tourists are in critical condition.
