An Icelandic volcano has started erupting again – the fifth time since December.
The outburst happened on the Reykjanes peninsula, home to 30,000 people, just south of the capital Reykjavik.
The eruption began in the early afternoon following a series of earthquakes north of Grindavik, a fishing town of 3,800 people that was evacuated.
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Volcano in Iceland spews lava
Lava was shooting around 50 metres into the sky from a fissure that is roughly 1.5 miles long and growing, Iceland‘s Met Office said.
The Blue Lagoon thermal spa, which is popular with tourists, was evacuated before the eruption, Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV reported.
Flights to and from Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport are currently operating as normal but passengers are being encouraged to monitor travel information.
Iceland’s civil defence was put on high alert, police said.
Image: Pic: AP
Image: Lava spewing out of a 1km-long fissure. Pic: AP
Iceland is home to almost 400,000 people and sits above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic. The island nation sees regular eruptions – which it is highly experienced at dealing with.
Authorities had warned of the risk of volcanic activity in the area as studies showed magma accumulated underground.
In an attempt to prevent damage, man-made barriers are in place to steer lava away from a geothermal power plant, the Blue Lagoon spa and Grindavik.
Previous incidents had forced evacuations, disrupted district heating, closed key roads – and even razed several houses in Grindavik.
Wednesday’s eruption is the eighth on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021, and the activity is a result of geological systems reawakening after 800 years of being dormant.
The spectacle underlines the challenges Iceland is facing as scientists have warned the Reykjanes could face eruptions for decades or even centuries.
Iceland’s most disruptive volcanic activity of recent times occurred in 2010, when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted – spewing out huge ash clouds that closed airspaces across Europe and grounded 100,000 flights.
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