Image source, National Police Chief
- author, Thomas McIntosh
- role, BBC News
-
A new volcanic eruption has begun in southwest Iceland, forcing the evacuation of residents of the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal hot springs and the small fishing village of Grindavik.
The new fissure occurred near Sundnuksiggar on the Reykjanes Peninsula, marking the fifth eruption in the area since December last year.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the crack was more than 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) long and was continuing to widen.
Footage from the scene showed a wall of lava erupting 50 metres into the air and a huge plume of ash filling much of the sky.
Officials also reported “intense seismic activity” before Wednesday’s eruption.
A state of emergency has been declared, a measure taken in response to the recent eruption.
Power was cut to the sparsely populated town of Grindavik to protect endangered high-voltage lines, state broadcaster RUV said.
The nearby Svartsengi power station, which provides electricity and water to thousands of people on the peninsula, was also evacuated.
A protective wall has been constructed around the facility, Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon to protect them from magma leaking from the ongoing eruption.
Keflavik International Airport said it was operating normally and was not affected.
Most of Grindavík’s 4,000 residents were permanently evacuated in November before the eruption in December, January, February and March.
Some residents later returned to live in areas less at risk from lava flows, but authorities said they were evacuated again on Wednesday as the magma began to move closer to Grindavik.
Local media reported that the three refused to leave.
Iceland has 33 active volcanoes and sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between two of the largest plates on Earth.
The last volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula was 800 years ago, with continued eruptions for several decades afterwards.
This is the eighth eruption since 2021, and scientists believe the region has entered a new volcanic era that could last for decades or even centuries.
