The 1995 Flateyri avalanche was an avalanche that struck the village of Flateyri in Iceland’s Westfjords on 26 October 1995, killing 20 people.[1] It came 8 months after an avalanche in Súðavík killed 14 people. The disasters had a profound effect on the nation and sparked a massive buildup of avalanche dams to protect towns in danger zones.[2][3][4]
| Date | 26 October 1995 |
|---|---|
| Location | Flateyri, Iceland |
| Cause | Avalanche |
| Deaths | 20 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 25 |
| Property damage | 17 houses damaged or destroyed. |
The avalanche fell from Skollahvilft [ˈskɔtlaˌkʰvɪl̥t] at around 4:00 AM, and destroyed 17 houses.[5] 45 people were in the houses hit by the avalanche, 21 managed to escape on their own and four were later rescued alive.[6]
References
edit- ^ Jón Trausti Reynisson (24 January 2020). "Fjallið, snjórinn og við". Stundin (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson (22 October 2015). "Uppbyggingin fylgdi áffallinu". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ "Tíminn læknar ekki öll sár". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 15 January 2005. p. 26. Retrieved 26 January 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Halla Ólafsdóttir (26 November 2017). "Áratuga verkefni að snjóflóðaverja byggð". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Halla Ólafsdóttir (26 October 2015). "Íbúar í fastasvefni þegar snjóflóðið féll". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ^ Valgeir Örn Ragnarsson (26 October 2015). "Grafin í snjóflóðinu í níu klukkutíma". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 January 2020.