A volcano has erupted in southwest Iceland. It spewed lava up to 50 meters high. The earth was torn open over a length of more than three kilometers. A tourist attraction had to be evacuated.
A volcano has erupted again on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, a popular tourist destination. An eruption has started near Sundhnúkr, north of the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office IMO reported.
According to the IMO, the lava is spewing up to 50 meters into the air. The crack in the earth is now more than three kilometers long – and the trend is increasing. According to the authority, the volcanic eruption was preceded by numerous earthquakes.
The glowing mass moved not only towards the town of Grindavík, but also further west and north, as the Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported. Authorities began building special dikes months ago to divert possible lava flows away from houses and critical infrastructure.
Lava and smoke are escaping from the volcano in Grindavik over a length of about three kilometers.
Residents and tourists evacuated
No one was injured. A few hours earlier, the authorities had ordered an evacuation of the town of Grindavik and the popular tourist attraction Blue Lagoon (a thermal outdoor pool). Around 700 to 800 visitors had been there that morning. After the eruption, the authorities declared a state of emergency.
The civil defense strongly advised against going to the scene of the incident. Onlookers had made their way to the site of the eruption. Despite the smoke, the eruption has not yet had any impact on air traffic.
Eruption was expected
During measurements, experts had already seen the magma coming, so great was the pressure under the ground. Kristín Jónsdóttir, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said, according to the news agency dpa, that this was a stronger eruption because more magma had accumulated than in previous events.
This is the fifth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula since December. The last volcanic eruption ended just three weeks ago. It began on March 16. Most of Grindavik's 4,000 residents were permanently evacuated in November. Volcanic eruptions followed in December, January, February and March. During the eruption in January, the lava flowed into the streets of Grindavik and engulfed three houses.
