(NewsSpace.com) – Iceland is one of the places on Earth where volcanic activity is highest. It has more than 30 active volcano sites and has averaged an eruption every few years. In recent years, however, it has been happening much more frequently. In mid-December, one erupted near Gindavik, a small fishing town, opening up some crevasses in the earth. A man who was working to fill them suffered a harrowing fall into one of them, and rescue efforts are underway.
The incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, January 10. The man, who has not been identified, was part of a roadwork crew who was assigned to fill a crevasse with soil when he is believed to have fallen into the earth below. None of his co-workers saw him fall into the crack, and his tools had already been found and recovered.
That accident sparked a search-and-rescue effort involving more than 200 people. While the search continued into Wednesday night, officials and volunteers had no luck finding him. Officials brought in a crane to help with efforts and dog squads to potentially help sniff him out.
According to the chief of police in the region, Úlfar Lúðvíksson, they plan to “search until we find him.” However, they are operating on little information, including how deep the crack is. To further complicate matters, the conditions are taxing, and two men take turns going down in a basket for a total of 10 minutes before they are replaced by another two men.
They are also taking precautions to ensure that none of the people involved in the efforts become another victim. As of the time of writing, there was still no sign of the man, and it’s not clear if efforts will prove successful in locating him.
Grindavik was the site of a volcanic eruption in November and again in December, which prompted multiple evacuations of the town.
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