AFP Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Updated Monday,15January2024-10:35

  • Iceland State of emergency due to eruption of volcano whose noxious gases approach Reykjavik

A volcano erupted Sunday in southeastern Iceland near the fishing village of Grindavik, ejecting plumes of lava that set nearby homes on fire, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO).

This is the fifth volcanic eruption in Iceland in nearly three years. The previous one took place on December 18 in the same area.

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Seismic activity intensified sharply overnight and residents of Grindavik were evacuated at around 03:00 (local time and GMT), according to Icelandic public radio and television.

The eruption began around 08 a.m. north of the town of 00,4 people, according to the weather office. The village is about 000 km southwest of Reykjavik, the island's capital.

Video surveillance footage shows large bright orange lava flows along a fissure.

"It's surreal. It's like watching a movie," Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson, 55, told AFP.

"In a small town like this, we're all like a family, we all know each other like a family, so it's a tragedy to see that," the man added.

The authorities had already evacuated Grindavik on November 11, as a precautionary measure. In the previous days there had been hundreds of earthquakes caused by the displacement of magma under the earth's crust, a precursor sign of a volcanic eruption.

Authorities are also keeping a close eye on the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located in the same sector and supplying electricity and water to some 30,000 inhabitants. The facilities are protected by a wall.

Iceland is between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and is one of the most active terrestrial volcanic regions, with 33 volcanoes or volcanic systems listed as active.