Polish tourist dies after falling into glacial river at Stuðlagil canyon in Iceland

Fall into the glacial river

A 39-year-old Polish national died on Monday, 24 August 2026, after falling into the Jökulsá á Brú glacial river in eastern Iceland. The accident occurred at approximately 13:15 local time in Stuðlagil canyon, a popular scenic destination known for steep basalt formations and turquoise water. The victim, a resident of Środa Wielkopolska in west-central Poland, was visiting the location with a group of friends on an independent trip rather than through an organized travel agency. Witnesses reported that the man fell from a substantial height into the river and was immediately swept downstream by the torrential current before companions or bystanders could intervene.

Search and recovery operation

Emergency services in Iceland deployed a large-scale response shortly after receiving the first distress call. Around 100 responders mobilized for the search, including regional police officers, search and rescue volunteers, firefighters, paramedics, and professional diving crews. An Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to the area to conduct aerial reconnaissance over the river gorge. Responders encountered hazardous conditions created by intense water turbulence, deep underwater crevices, and water temperatures of around two degrees Celsius, which cause rapid bodily hypothermia. Police divers found the tourist's body at approximately 22:00 local time, trapped at a substantial depth inside a submerged cave near where he entered the river.

Eyewitness account at the riverbank

Local tour guide Auðdís Tinna Hallgrímsdóttir was walking with a tour group near the canyon's new observation platform when the incident took place. Hallgrímsdóttir heard loud shouting from the gorge, looked down, and saw the man struggling in the rapid flow. She contacted emergency dispatch services immediately and ran along the edge of the canyon to keep the victim in sight while providing continuous updates to police operators. Multiple visitors rushed toward the water's edge to offer help, but the extreme current made any direct intervention impossible.

Conditions are such that no one dares to jump into the water to save someone. It is an icy river with a very strong current.

Hallgrímsdóttir stated that the man was unable to keep his head above the water surface, describing the experience of watching him drown without any possibility of rescue as one of the most difficult events she had faced.

Investigation and canyon safety history

Icelandic police contacted the victim's family in Poland to notify them of his death and opened an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the fall. Officers have questioned multiple witnesses, including the group of friends who accompanied the man on the trip, and scheduled a formal autopsy. Stuðlagil canyon draws approximately 200,000 visitors every year, making it one of the most frequented natural attractions in eastern Iceland. The incident follows an earlier fatal accident in October 2024, when a foreign female tourist also drowned after entering the river at the canyon.