Volcanic eruption in Iceland: Entire town evacuated, resorts closed
In Iceland, a volcanic eruption has begun (photo: Getty Images)
On the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, a volcano erupted after several strong earthquakes, according to the BBC.
Due to the threat of hot lava flows, approximately 4,000 people were evacuated from the town of Grindavik. Geothermal resorts located near the volcano were closed.
The eruption began north of the town late yesterday evening. Since the end of October, there has been increased seismic activity in the capital region of Reykjavik, with thousands of underground tremors recorded.
Civil defense officials stated that the eruption happened quickly and, all in all, was "quite large." It is reported that lava is flowing in all directions from a large fissure in the volcano.
What preceeded this
Earlier, it was reported that the Icelandic town with a population of about 4,000 near Reykjavik could be significantly damaged by the volcano eruption expected in the next few hours or days.
The most likely eruption scenario envisioned by volcanologists was the opening of a fissure in the ground in Grindavik. However, they did not rule out the possibility of an eruption on the ocean floor, which could likely cause a large ash cloud.
