Body of tourist recovered from Stuðlagil canyon pool; investigated as accident

Rescuers recovered the body of a foreign tourist from a deep pool in Iceland's Stuðlagil canyon on Tuesday evening, three days after he fell into the Jökla river. The man, described as being in his late thirties, was found approximately three to four meters deep, not far from where he entered the water.

A large-scale search operation was launched after the alarm was raised around 1:15 PM on Tuesday. It involved around 100 individuals, including swift water rescue specialists from capital region rescue teams deployed via a helicopter from the Icelandic Coast Guard. Most of the search personnel were from rescue teams in East Iceland.

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The man's body was found in one of the pools at a depth of three to four meters.

The victim was traveling independently and was not part of a guided tour. According to Kristmundur Stefán Einarsson, chief superintendent with the police in East Iceland, the search was concentrated in the area where the body was found due to the presence of deep pools and rapids.

Authorities are currently investigating the incident as an accident. They are interviewing eyewitnesses, and an autopsy will be performed to establish the exact cause of death. This is the second fatal incident at Stuðlagil; a foreign woman in her thirties also died after falling into the river in October 2024.

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There are pools and rapids alternating, and the man fell into the river on the east side of it.