Among the three tourists who were on board the missing white Cessna are two people who live in Belgium. The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs has just confirmed this. But none of those involved have Belgian nationality. The pilot is from Iceland itself, the third tourist may be an American.
“The flight conditions were good. It was cold but clear. We did not receive any distress or warning messages from the pilot. What happened is a mystery to everyone,” said Asgeir Erlendsson, spokesman for the Icelandic Coast Guard who is coordinating the search.
On Friday afternoon, special units arrived on the scene with a mini-submarine. This will be used to search for possible wreckage in Lake Pingvellir. Drones and helicopters have also been deployed to fly over the region. Boats are used to search for possible traces on the water. But the winter conditions complicate the search.
The National Park where Lake Pingvellir is located is one of Iceland’s three National Parks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an attraction for tourists. In summer it is also a paradise for divers and snorkelers.
The last cellphone signals from one of the occupants on the southern side of the lake were received on Thursday. Hence, the search is centered around that region.
The plane, a white single-engine Cessna C172, had taken off at 10:30 a.m. local time on Thursday and was scheduled to fly over the Golden Circle. A two hour flight.
Pilot Harald Diego had previously been an airline pilot and later founded the company Volcano Air Iceland, which specializes in tourist flights. He’s done the process hundreds of times. But when the Cessna stayed away on Thursday afternoon and no contact could be made with the pilot, the alarm was raised.
Quest
Two Coast Guard helicopters, small private jets and about 500 rescue workers are currently deployed to locate the plane and its four occupants. They have to search a difficult and snowy area in the southwest of the island and in a few hours it will be dark and the search must be stopped.
Davíð Már, speaking on the spot, says this is one of the largest searches in Iceland’s history. A bit to compare with the search for Birna Brjánsdóttir in 2017. The 20-year-old disappeared without a trace after a cafe visit with friends. Her body was later found. Murdered.
Now it is hoped that the plane has landed somewhere on the mainland, then there may still be hope for the occupants.
“Since there are no signs of the aircraft visible from the air, we fear the worst-case scenario that the plane crashed into the lake and sank,” said a police spokesman.
According to Icelandic media, a rescue worker was injured in a snowmobile accident this morning. The man has been taken to hospital.