LONDON (AP) — A volcano started erupting in southwestern Iceland on Tuesday, simply hours after authorities evacuated a close-by group and the Blue Lagoon spa.
Flames and smoke shot by means of the air because the volcanic fissure opened close to the city of Grindavik, the place some 40 houses have been evacuated, nationwide broadcaster RUV reported.
The group, situated on the Reykjanes Peninsula, was largely evacuated a yr in the past when the volcano got here to life after mendacity dormant for 800 years.
Webcams confirmed molten rock spewing out towards the group. Sirens sounded in Grindavik whereas the close by Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — considered one of Iceland’s greatest vacationer sights — was additionally evacuated.
“The fissure is now about 500 meters (yards) long and has reached through the protective barrier north of Grindavík,″ Iceland’s Met Office said in a statement.
”The fissure continues to develop, and it can’t be dominated out that it might proceed to open additional south,” it added.
The magma circulation started at about 6:30 a.m. native time (0630 GMT) accompanied by an intense earthquake swarm much like earlier eruptions, the Icelandic Met Workplace mentioned.
We Do not Work For Billionaires. We Work For You.
Already contributed? Log in to cover these messages.
Iceland sits above a volcanic scorching spot within the North Atlantic.
Probably the most disruptive incident in latest instances was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the ambiance and disrupted trans-Atlantic air journey for months.
