Four tourists have been killed during a sightseeing trip in Iceland.
Gatekeepers News reports that four tourists from the United States, the Netherlands and Belgium have been killed during a sightseeing trip in Iceland after their small plane, Cessna 172 crashed into lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s second-largest.
In a statement, the Icelandic Coast Guard said the Cessna 172 was found was found in a portion of the lake about 30 miles (50 kilometres) east of Reykjavik at around 11pm local time on Friday.
The aircraft took off from the domestic airport in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, on Thursday, for a scheduled two-hour sightseeing tour.
The plane which did not send a distress signal last made contact to aviation authorities about an hour after take off.
The 49-year-old pilot, Haraldur Diego, was considered one of Iceland’s most prominent aviators and a pioneer of photography tours.
Despite the harsh winter weather, over 1,000 members of Iceland’s Search and Rescue organisation, along with boats, divers, and two Icelandic Coast Guard helicopters, had combed the Thingvellir National Park area for the plane.
