Tourists flee as falling slabs of Icelandic glacier create huge waves

Tourists in Iceland have been forced to dash to higher ground to avoid large waves created by giant slabs of a glacier collapsing into freezing waters. Key points: The tourists raced across rocky ground to escape the waves The Breidamerkurjokull glacier and Jokulsarlon lagoon are popular with tourists Glaciers and volcanoes are culturally significant in Iceland About 10 people were observing the Breidamerkurjokull glacier when four large sections of it detached and plunged into the still waters below, creating a huge splash and a surge of water that travelled right towards the beach where the group was standing. 'We are losing five years of history every year' Iceland is becoming greener and some of its land mass is rising as climate change gathers pace bringing economic and other consequences, according to Oddur Sigurdsson, a geologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. "We expect the glaciers will completely disappear within 200 years, so we are losing five years of history every year."