Two Chinese tourists in their early 20s were found dead at the site where a US Navy plane crashed in southern Iceland in 1973.
A man and a woman, according to police, were discovered close to the popular Sólheimasandur crash site on Thursday, January 16th 2020.
Early autopsy results revealed that the two victims died of hypothermia after being exposed during a storm that had recently passed through the area.
Just before midday, a passerby found the woman’s body close to the trail leading down to the plane wreckage on the beach. At two o’clock, a man’s body was discovered approximately 150 metres from where the woman was discovered.
A rented vehicle thought to have been hired by the couple was discovered in the nearby car park. The windows of the car had been shattered.
The Abandoned Plane at Sólheimasandur
Among Iceland’s breathtaking natural beauty, the Sólheimasandur crash site has long been a popular destination for tourists. The surreal scene consists of the abandoned white plane resting on a black sand beach.
Sólheimasandur became even more popular after Justin Bieber featured the site in his music video “I’ll Show You” in 2015.
The plane itself is very isolated, approximately a two-hour walk from the nearest car park.
1973 US Navy Sólheimasandur Crash
A US Navy Douglas C-117D plane had taken supplies to a radar station near Höfn in the southeast of Iceland. On its return to Keflavik Airport, on the southwest of the island, the plane suffered severe icing and was unable to maintain its altitude.
A controlled landing took place on ice-covered water and all seven members of the crew were rescued alive. The plane was abandoned and the remains of it still rest on the beach.
