At least one person has died after an ice cave partially collapsed while a group of tourists were visiting the Breidamerkurjokull glacier in southern Iceland.

Two people were seriously injured in the incident on Sunday, with one dying from their injuries at the scene of the accident and the other airlifted to a hospital in the capital Reykjavik.

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“Four people got stuck under the ice, two people have already been rescued from the ice and are seriously injured,” Sudurland police said.

“The search is still on for the two people trapped in the ice cave,” the statement added.

Local news site Visir said all available rescue teams were searching, in addition to three helicopters from the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Danish Navy.

An ice cave is seen at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon during the winter on the southern coast of Iceland, February 17, 2022 [Nacho Doce/Reuters]

Because of the ruggedness of the terrain, Visir continued, it was not possible to bring large icebreaking machines to the site, leaving the rescue teams using handheld saws and other tools to break the ice.

The operation was paused after nightfall due to the dangerous conditions, but the police said efforts would resume on Monday morning.

Police said on Sunday that the call about the collapse came in at 3pm, when four people out of a group of 25 tourists and their tour guide, were hit by ice while exploring the cave.

The ice cave near the glacial lagoon Jokulsarlon, where the incident occurred, is a popular tourist destination.

The collapse was also not likely related to a Friday volcano eruption in southeast Iceland, which occurred about 300km (186 miles) from the ice cave.