Iceland: Search called off after deadly ice cave collapse

Police in Iceland have called off a search for missing tourists at the site of an ice cave collapse that killed one person and severely wounded another.

Authorities initially said two people were thought to still be trapped under the ice, but later issued a statement saying that all individuals had been accounted for.

The collapse happened on Sunday afternoon while a tour group was visiting the Breidamerkurjokull glacier with a guide.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while a woman was seriously injured and taken to hospital in the capital, Reykjavik. Both were US citizens. 

Breidamerkurjokull, located in the southeast of the country, extends from southern Vatnajökull into the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, one of Iceland's popular tourist destinations.

Why did police end their search?

Police said late on Monday that they had ended their search after examining the tour operator's records and establishing that 23 people were on the trip, not 25 as had first been reported.

They said that despite "conflicting information about the number of people on the trip," the search had continued as a precaution to make sure no one was trapped.

More than 200 people took part in the operation, with rescue crews working for hours to cut through big blocks of ice as they searched for those believed to be missing.

"A moment ago, the police field manager located at the scene announced that all the ice that was thought to have fallen on the people had been moved,'' police said. "It has come to light that no one (was) hidden under the ice.''

Two coast guard helicopters were dispatched to the scene, as well as ambulances, Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported.

jcg,nm/msh (AFP, dpa)