Iceland evacuates town over ‘considerable’ risk of volcanic eruption

Icelandic authorities have completed the evacuation of 3,000 residents of a town in the southwestern part of the country over concerns of a volcanic eruption after a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Saturday there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, because the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it is moving was several times greater than what was previously measured in the area.

“I don’t think it’s long before an eruption, hours or a few days. The chance of an eruption has increased significantly,” Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told state broadcaster RUV.

Iceland’s Civil Protection Agency overnight ordered a complete evacuation of Grindavik, a nearby fishing town, although it emphasised this was not an emergency evacuation.

Donald Trump trial: Stormy Daniels testimony pure gold for talkshow comedy turns

---

Biden’s Racine certainty fails to win broad acclaim

---

Former Catalan leader preaches independence from self-exile

---

China’s support for Russia the greatest barrier to better relations with the EU

---

The Reykjanes region has in recent years seen several eruptions in unpopulated areas, but the current outbreak was believed to pose an immediate risk to the town, authorities said.

On Thursday increased seismic activity prompted the closure of the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of the country’s main tourist attractions.

Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hotspot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In March 2021 lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring 500-750m long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.

[ Volcano erupts near Iceland capital Reykjavik ]

Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022 a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.

The Fagradalsfjall system, which is about 6km wide and 19km long, had remained inactive for more than 6,000 years before the recent eruptions. – Reuters