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Iceland's volcanic eruption hits Grindavík
Town evacuated just hours before lava pours from cracks in the ground nearby
Iceland is facing a "worst case scenario", the country's police chief has said, as the Reykjanes peninsula experienced its second volcanic eruption in less than a month.
Residents of Grindavík evacuated their homes in the early hours of Sunday morning after "considerable seismic and magmatic activity" was recorded, said RÚV, Iceland's national broadcaster.
The ground level had risen by several centimetres in the days before, "pushed up by magma rising beneath", said Sky News's science correspondent Thomas Moore. "At first it opened a one kilometre gash" that stretched closer to the "thriving fishing town" than December's eruption, he continued – and "then a smaller fissure opened even closer to people's homes".
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"Fountains of molten rock and smoke spewed from fissures in the ground," said Reuters, and lava has since "engulfed" a number of homes in the small town, said the Daily Mail.
The magma flow has "bypassed barriers" that were erected last month to protect Grindavík from a further eruption, said Sky News. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has described the situation as "highly serious". President Gudni Johannesson said in a post on X that "no lives are in danger" at present.
The media and emergency services assess the scene near Grindavík
(Image credit: Halldor Kolbeins / AFP via Getty Images)
Iceland has 33 active volcano systems, the highest of any country in Europe
(Image credit: Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management / AFP via Getty Images)
A photographer adjusts his camera equipment as smoke billows near Keflavík on the Reykjanes peninsula
(Image credit: Sergei Gapon / AFP via Getty Images)
Lava is seen erupting near buildings in Grindavík, which is home to around 3,500 people
(Image credit: Halldor Kolbeins / AFP via Getty Images)
A lava flow near a road leading to Grindavík on an otherwise beautiful day
(Image credit: Halldor Kolbeins / AFP via Getty Images)
This aerial shot shows how close to Grindavík the latest eruption was
(Image credit: Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management / AFP via Getty Images)
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Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.
