Rockfall again at site of fatal accident

A rockfall occurred earlier today near Holtsnúp under Eyjafjöll, at almost the same spot where a fatal accident happened in March this year.

At that time, rocks fell onto a car carrying three women on Suðurlandsvegur, resulting in the death of one passenger.

Ingveldur Anna Sigurðardóttir, deputy MP for the Independence Party and resident of Varmahlíð, says today’s rockfall highlights the urgent need for improvements to this stretch of the highway.

A matter of sheer luck

After the fatal accident in spring, the South Iceland police chief noted that stones regularly fall from Steinahjall near Holtsnúp, though it is rare for them to land directly on the road.

According to Ingveldur, however, today’s event shows it happens more often than assumed. Rocks landed both on and across the road, and it was sheer luck no vehicle was passing at the time.

“It would be terrible to see another accident like the one in March, which was absolutely horrific,” she told mbl.is .

Danger of cars striking boulders

In response to an earlier parliamentary question from Sigurðardóttir, Infrastructure Minister Eyjólfur Árnason said that no measures were planned at Holtsnúp, as other road sections had priority.

Sigurðardóttir was dissatisfied with that reply. “Funding clearly needs to be prioritized for this in the next parliament. I hope this triggers some warning lights at the ministry.”

She also pointed out the additional winter risk of motorists colliding with boulders already lying on the road, with potentially severe consequences. Her own mother experienced this a few years ago, when her car was completely destroyed after striking fallen rocks.

Sigurðardóttir believes heavy rainfall may have triggered today’s rockfall, though the timing is unusual. Contractors have now cleared the rocks from the road.