The light was yellow: Last three accidents in the same spot

A yellow warning light was flashing at Reynisfjara beach on Saturday when a nine-year-old girl from Germany died after being swept into the sea. The last three fatal accidents at the beach have all occurred near the basalt columns. An information sign was blown away from the beach a few weeks ago.

This was confirmed by Íris Guðnadóttir, spokesperson for the landowners at Reynisfjara, in a conversation with mbl.is .

The warning lights are connected to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration’s wave forecast system. A green light flashes when there is little danger, yellow indicates moderate danger, and red means people should expect high risk.

There have been six fatal accidents at the beach so far this century, four of which involved drowning. Two of the accidents were not related to wave activity.

Last three accidents near the basalt columns

The girl was in the same location as the last two tourists who drowned just offshore. She was caught in the waves along with her father and sister, but they managed to get back to shore.

Strong rip currents can form near the basalt columns during high wave activity. The Halsanefshellir cave in Reynisfjara is a popular destination, and tourists must pass by the basalt columns to reach it.

“There have been six fatal accidents at the beach in this century, four of which were drownings. Two were not related to wave activity,” said Guðnadóttir .

“The first fatal tourist accident at Reynisfjara happened in 2007 when a woman in her 80s from the U.S. was pulled into the sea by the surf. The next occurred in 2016, when a Chinese tourist in his 40s fell on rocks in the surf zone,” she said.

“In 2018, an American woman died after falling on rocks near the walking path. In 2021, a Chinese woman in her 30s died, and in 2022, a Canadian man—both were pulled into the sea after being struck by waves near the basalt columns. Now in 2025, a girl was pulled into the sea at the same spot,” said Guðnadóttir .

Sign was blown away

Two signs were installed by the Icelandic Tourist Board in 2022. One of them was blown away in a storm. It showed a map identifying danger zones on the beach during wave activity. The area near the basalt columns, where the three most recent accidents occurred, was marked as a yellow hazard zone on the map.

Guðnadóttir said a replacement sign will be installed soon, as the original was lost in a recent storm. She noted that numerous warning signs are already in place at the site.

She also said that warnings and safety information are widely available on websites, travel blogs, homepages, and even on TikTok.