Bus rolled over with 22 passengers in Öxnadalur yesterday

A bus rolled over on the road in Öxnadalur last night. The coordination center for civil protection was activated because of the case and traffic across the highway was closed because of the accident.

The bus left the road south of the farm Engimýri according to a witness who mbl.is spoke to.

There were at least five police and ambulances along with two fire trucks that went to the scene.

A total of 22 foreign-born tourists were in the bus. Five were taken by helicopter and medical aircraft to the National University Hospital in Reykjavík and are in intensive care. Two are kept asleep in a breathing machine but they are said to have stable vitals.

This is stated in an announcement on the Facebook page of the North-East Police.

All the passengers are from the Czech Republic

The announcement states that five people have been admitted to the hospital in Akureyri. Further details about injuries are not available to the police at the moment.

After a medical examination, the team treated other passengers from the Red Cross’ mass aid center, which opened in Akureyri, and assisted in getting a place to stay.

The announcement states that the travelers were all from the Czech Republic and the police have contacted the Czech consulate in Iceland about the accident.

The research and field work was completed at the fourth hour of the night and the road was reopened for public transit. The scene and especially the oil found in Öxnadalsá River were cleaned.

“The investigation of an accident like this is very extensive and aims to find out the cause of the accident. The field is photographed, and photos taken from the air with drones, scanned with a stereoscopic scanner, measured up and the distribution of debris recorded. The road is examined, its surface is examined, roadsides, markings and such. The vehicle itself is examined carefully, including the wheels, steering, braking, and the driver's record. The condition and position of safety belts are examined, etc. The driver's condition is always examined especially, his license and experience,” the announcement added.

Indications of some passengers not wearing seatbelts

In the announcement, there are indications that some passengers were not wearing safety belts when the bus rolled over and it is part of the investigation to inform if that was the case.

The police in North-East Iceland are responsible for investigating the case, but the Investigative Commission of Transport Accidents is also responsible for investigating.

Kristófer Hafsteinsson, warden at the Akureyri police, tells mbl.is that the investigation into the accident is in full swing. He says that the driver and the 22 passengers are all from the Czech Republic and that a Czech travel company organized the trip.