According to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it concerns two people who live in Belgium, but do not have Belgian nationality, Het Nieuwsblad writes. One of them may be a Dutchman.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in our country cannot yet formally recognize that one or more compatriots were in the Cessna C172 plane. A large-scale search is underway for the small aircraft. The foreign tourists were part of a larger group. The other members receive victim assistance from the Red Cross, Icelandic media report.
“We cannot yet give official confirmation about a possible Dutchman,” said a ministry spokesman at the end of the afternoon on Friday. “In any case, our honorary consul is aware of the situation and is in close contact with the authorities.”
rescue
An oil slick has since been found at Lake Pingvallavatn, which is being investigated whether it could have come from the plane. The search area has already been reduced at the beginning of Friday evening. The search is now mainly conducted south of the lake in question.
Hundreds of rescuers and several helicopters are searching in Iceland for a plane that is feared to have probably crashed. The Cessna C172 departed Thursday morning from the capital Reykjavik for a two-hour trip in the area of the so-called Golden Circle, a popular route past waterfalls and other sights. The last contact with the plane was about an hour later.
It is not clear what exactly happened to the small device. The occupants gave no sign of life. The flying conditions were good, according to the Coast Guard. “We have not received a distress signal or warning,” said a spokesman.
Treacherous weather conditions
Still, Cris Toala Olivares, a Dutch acquaintance of the pilot, tells De Telegraaf that there can indeed be ‘tough conditions’ in the region. “The weather can be very changeable there. Not every pilot is able to fly around there.”
The pilot in question, 49-year-old Haraldur Diego, is “one of the best pilots in the country” according to Toala Olivares. “It’s a fascinating area where they went, but it can also be very dark during this winter period. There is always a risk.”
Storm coming
He considers it ‘excluded’ that the occupants have lost communication and are therefore unable to make a statement. “I really hope it goes well.” Time is running out, he says with concern. “They really need to be found very quickly. A gigantic storm is coming.”
Icelandic officials said the plane may have crashed in Thingvellir National Park, about 50 kilometers east of the capital. The second largest lake in Iceland is located in this nature reserve. It is very popular with volcano enthusiasts. Diego mainly takes professional photographers on his plane trips.
Hundreds of rescuers searched for the four missing on Thursday. A Danish Air Force aircraft contributed to the search. The aircraft in question is a Cessna 172N with the registration number TF-ABB. Images from nearby surveillance cameras, such as remote homes, are closely monitored.
Pilot Diego runs the company Volcano Air Iceland, is president of the AOPA (an advocacy group for pilots and aircraft owners in Iceland) and also editor of Fluginn, an aviation magazine.
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