This is B.C. World Service. I'm Paul Smith. A sudden radio call. It signals a state of emergency in the Icelandic Highlands.

We are 600 meters above sea level in the nature reserve of Land Manalur.

One minute ago, this group of rescue volunteers was sunbathing, drinking coffee and eating

chocolate biscuits.

Now the team has snapped into action. This is Iceland rescue.

We have a traveler of hiking on the Lueville Rook who has had an anxiety attack and a fear of heights. This traveler will not budge. We have to get her out of there somehow.

Just making sure that I have all my glacier equipment with me. I don't know how high she is at.

People get scared. They get scared of heights. It can get steep and sometimes you just sort of panicked and you just can't really control your reactions.

There was a guide here the other day was saying that he has had to deal with people that are

literally crawling on the ground crying.

We pack everything we can.

Mostly we're going to take gears for her to feel safe when we walk down.

There's going to be belt, ropes, there's going to be helmet,

so that she can feel confidence.

There's someone else with the line holding her.

Four of the seven volunteers leave to rescue the vertigo-stricken woman.

They'll drive for two hours and then hike at a brisk pace to meet her before the weather changes.

The rest of the volunteers remain a camp and land manelure, including

group coordinator, Unar Maower. Most of the rescue time is waiting. You are not running around doing everything that split second times.

This is just one of around 1500 emergency callouts the rescue service receives a year, even though it's July and the weather is

pretty warm by Icelandic standards, there's still snow on the roads and the team can't

assume this will be a simple mountain rescue because on this island nature can welcome you in the

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