Grindavik on Iceland: Volcano erupted again - the earth opened up for a good three kilometers

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Aerial photo from the Icelandic Coast Guard: Kilometer-long fissure in the earth

Photo: AFP

For the fourth time since December, lava has emerged from a fissure in the earth in an Icelandic region.

The bright red-orange eruptions near the coastal town of Grindavík could be seen from the capital Reykjavík, just 40 kilometers northeast, as photos on the RUV website show.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said early Sunday morning that the lava was flowing south and southeast at an estimated speed of one kilometer per hour.

The scenario that the lava reaches the sea must be taken into account.

Some of the lava is also flowing towards the protective barriers for the fishing town of Grindavík, which was evacuated in November, and is now only around 200 meters away from them.

The advance warning phase for the eruption was very short: the first warning to the Ministry of Civil Protection was received only 40 minutes before the first eruption began.

The Blue Lagoon thermal spa, popular with tourists and containing around 700 people, was immediately evacuated.

A few residents who had since returned to Grindavík were also taken out of town for safety reasons.

But there is no danger to people, it said.

Aerial photos suggest that the eruption is the strongest to date.

Scientists tried to get an idea of ​​the situation from a helicopter.

The length of the ruptured fissure was reportedly between 2.9 and 3.5 kilometers long.

Rescue workers complained about tourists who had traveled to the region out of sensationalism.

Grindavík is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 55 kilometers southwest of Reykjavík.

There have been four volcanic eruptions in the area since mid-December, and in one in January the lava engulfed three houses in the community.

The volcano erupted for the first time on December 18th and for the second time on January 14th.

A third, smaller eruption was recorded on February 8th.

The future of Grindavík with its 4,000 inhabitants is uncertain.

The government wants to legislate to allow residents to sell their homes to a state-owned company.

With more than 30 active volcanic systems, Iceland is the largest and most active volcanic region in Europe.

The island nation in the North Atlantic lies on the so-called Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the Eurasian and North American plates.

svs/jpz/AFP/dpa