BERLIN — At least one person has died and two others are still missing after an ice cave partially collapsed as a group of tourists visited the Breidamerkurjökull glacier in southern Iceland.

In a statement posted on social media, local police said rescue workers received an emergency call shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday when a group of about 25 foreign tourists of various nationalities were exploring ice caves and four people were hit by the ice.

Two people were seriously injured, one died at the scene of the accident, another was flown by helicopter to a hospital in the capital and is reportedly in a stable condition.

Numerous rescue workers were searching for the two missing people throughout the afternoon and into the evening. The operation was suspended after dark due to the dangerous conditions, but will continue in the morning, police said.

Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported that transporting equipment and personnel to the glacier had proven difficult because the terrain was rugged and the ice had to be cut largely by hand with chainsaws.

Local news site Visir reported that the group was on an organized ice cave tour and was accompanied by a guide, but most people were outside the cave when it collapsed. The ice cave is a popular tourist destination.

The collapse was probably unrelated to a volcanic eruption that occurred on Friday in southeastern Iceland, about 300 kilometers from the glacier.