This is already the fourth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in about three months. The Blue Lagoon and the fishing village of Grindavík were evacuated again.
In Iceland, lava has started erupting on the ground again from the same area as before in recent months, says the Icelandic Meteorological Institute.
This is already the fourth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in about three months. Geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson says the Icelandic Broadcasting Corporation for RUV, that the recent eruption is the strongest so far. The length of the crack is about 3.5 kilometers.
Lava erupts in the area between Stóra-Skógfell and Hagafell.
British Broadcasting Corporation the BBC according to the southern parts of the country, a state of emergency has been declared due to the eruption.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) is said to have issued a warning of increased seismic activity shortly before 9:30 local time, and almost immediately afterwards lava began to erupt.
According to the IMO, the eruption occurred near the place where the previous eruption occurred in early February. According to RUV, the lava had already reached the dams built to protect the fishing village of Grindavík since the beginning of the night, but it is believed that the protections will hold.
The Coast Guard estimated shortly before midnight that the lava had advanced in the direction of Grindavík at about a kilometer per hour.
According to the Department of Meteorology, lava has also flowed to the west, just like in February.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the springs
According to RUV, the Blue Lagoon hot springs, one of Iceland’s most famous attractions, have had to be closed due to the eruption. About 700 people had been on the scene when the eruption occurred.
Grindavík has also been evacuated, but it is said that there were very few people in the village, says RUV. According to Swedish news agency TT, the village has been evacuated several times in recent months.
The population of the village is around 4,000, but according to the news agency AFP, only a hundred people had decided to return to their homes at the end of February.
In November, the earthquakes had damaged buildings and caused huge cracks in the roads. The earthquakes were followed by an eruption after mid-December, but at that time the village was spared damage.
However, a fissure opened on the edge of the village in January, spewing lava into the streets and at least three homes were destroyed. The third eruption was observed in the first half of February near the village. According to TT, several houses were destroyed in February.
By Friday, more than 300 residents of Grindavík had submitted a request to sell their homes to the state.
Sources: AFP, TT, Ritzau