LONDON (AP) – A volcano in southwestern Iceland has erupted for the second time in less than a month, spewing semi-molten rock toward a nearby village.
The eruption, which occurred just before 8 a.m. Sunday, followed an earthquake swarm near the town of Grindavik, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Iceland's RUV television reported that residents in the area were evacuated overnight.
“The lava is flowing a few hundred meters north of the town. It's 400 to 500 meters here,” Kristin Jónsdóttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland's RUV TV. “The lava flows towards Grindavik.”
Icelandic Civil Protection and Emergency Management Agency, January 14, 2024 Rising smoke and flowing lava can be seen in a handout image from the volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik in western Iceland. (Photo credit: Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management/AFP) (Photo credit: Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management/AFP, Getty Images)
Residents of Grindavik were evacuated from their homes in November and had to leave the town for six weeks following a series of earthquakes and subsequent volcanic eruptions. They were allowed to return home on December 22nd.
The town of 3,800 people near Iceland's main airport was evacuated on November 10 after a swarm of earthquakes left cracks and holes in the ground between the town and the small mountain Seelingarfell to the north. The nearby Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, also temporarily closed.
Icelandic Civil Protection and Emergency Management Agency, January 14, 2024 Rising smoke and flowing lava can be seen in a handout image from the volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik in western Iceland. (Photo credit: Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management/AFP) (Photo credit: Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management/AFP, Getty Images)
In the weeks since then, a protective wall has been erected around the volcano in hopes of keeping magma away from the area. However, a barrier wall built north of Grindavik has been destroyed and lava is moving towards the region, the weather service said.
