Iceland volcano eruption today: Huge lava flows creep to within metres of Grindavik after cracking defences
Buildings in Iceland’s Grindavik go up in flames as volcano’s lava reaches town
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A volcano had erupted in southwest Iceland, posing an immediate threat to a nearby fishing town that had been evacuated over fears of an outbreak, authorities said.
Early-morning live streams from the site showed fountains of molten rock spewing from fissures in the ground, the bright orange lava flow glowing against the dark sky.
Father-of-two Siggeir Ævarsson, 38, a resident of Grindavik told The Independent: “I’m feeling quite numb at the moment, it’s so surreal.”
The eruption began north of the town of Grindavik, which on Saturday was evacuated for a second time over fears that an outbreak was imminent amid a swarm of seismic activity, authorities said.
Iceland in recent weeks sought to build barriers of earth and rock to prevent lava from reaching Grindavik, but the latest eruption appeared to have penetrated the defences.
“According to the first images from the Coast Guard’s surveillance flight, a crack has opened on both sides of the defences that have begun to be built north of Grindavik,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said in a statement.
Watch live: Volcano erupts in Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula
A volcano has erupted in the Grindavík area of south west Iceland this morning (14 January), days after residents were ordered to leave when volcanic fissures began opening on nearby roads.
The order is expected to be in place for at least three weeks which will cause a lot of disruption, particularly as Grindavík plays home to the iconic Blue Lagoon tourist attraction.
Watch it live by following this link:
Matt Mathers14 January 2024 19:30
British couple ‘alarmed’ but ‘excited’ to see erupting volcano
A British couple on holiday in Iceland said it was “alarming” to see a volcano erupting in the southwest of the country as they travelled to the airport on Sunday.
Lorraine Crawford, 67, and her 70-year-old husband John, from Essex, took a trip to Reykjavik on Thursday along with Mr Crawford’s cousin, Michael Daltrey, and his wife, Faye.
The group were in a taxi on their way to Keflavik International Airport on Sunday morning to return to the UK when Ms Crawford said they saw the erupting volcano in the distance and initially thought it was a fire.
“It’s alarming in a way – it’s quite exciting to see something like that but then you realise that this could do quite a lot of damage,” Ms Crawford, who runs a travel agency with her husband and their daughter, told the PA news agency.
“On the way (to the airport), we thought it was just a fire in the distance but (the taxi driver) said it was the actual volcano erupting.”
She added that they had heard a “really loud noise” and a “really loud rumble” from the airport, but they were not sure what had caused it.
Lorraine and John Crawford
(Lorraine Crawford/PA Wire)
Matt Mathers14 January 2024 18:37
Watch: Homes in Iceland’s Grindavik go up in flames as volcano’s lava reaches town
Homes in Iceland’s Grindavik go up in flames as volcano’s lava reaches town
Lava from the erupting volcano in Iceland has been seen reaching several homes in the town of Grindavik, sending them up in flames. Residents were evacuated overnight amid warning signs of an eruption, just months after a six-week evacuation order in November when a different volcano blew its top. It was caused by a fissure opening up just 50-100 metres away, causing lava to flow towards the town. Keflavik International Airport is currently operating as normal, however, tourists have been advised to stay away from the area.
Matt Mathers14 January 2024 17:30
Sheep trapped in town
30 sheep are trapped as the lava hits Grindavik, raising animal welfare concerns.
Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir chairperson of Iceland’s Animal Protection Association voiced her fears to RUV, saying many people had returned their animals to Grindavik after the first evacuation in November.
There are sheep trapped in atleast five properties and some pets are believed to still be in the lava threatened town.
She told the state broadcaster:
“It is extremely serious that animals have entered the town again. Of course they weren’t supposed to be there, but people started coming back into the town and started going about their normal lives. “Animal owners have subsequently decided to bring their animals into the town and there are even reportedly pets there too, but we have yet to confirm that.”
Scientist of the University of Iceland take measurements and samples standing on the ridge in front of the active part of the eruptive fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik
(AP)
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 17:00
Watch – Iceland’s volcano eruption seen from plane window in passenger footage
Iceland’s volcano eruption seen from plane window in passenger footage
A passenger on a plane heading over Iceland has share footage of the view of Grindavik’s volcano eruption from the sky. In the footage, lava can be seen spilling down the volcano, which has since reached the evacuated town, and sent several homes up in flames. This is the second time in the space of a month that a volcano has erupted in the area, and residents were only ordered to evacuate back in November, when they were out of their homes for six weeks.
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 16:30
Atleast two homes burnt by lava
A shocked video shared by Iceland’s official state broadcaster shows two homes ravaged by a lava flow which is sliding towards the town.
Lava burns everything in its path, and will cause the walls of homes to give way, a Met Office spokesperson told the RUV.
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 16:00
Some good news
Defensive walls have worked to keep most the lava flow away from the town.
Benedikt Halldórsson, specialist in earthquake hazards at the Met Office informed the RUV that most of the lava flow was diverted towards Grindavíkurvegur and away from the town/ “I think this is a splendid example,” Benedikt told the news outlet.
( (AP Photo/ Marco Di Marco))
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 15:26
The lava has reached settlements
Lava has reached the first home as live webcams broadcast the eruption.
RUV report the house belongs to a young couple who had not yet moved into the home.
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 14:06
A new fissure opens up
A new fissure has opened up just 50-100 metres away from the town of Grindavik, with more lava flowing towards the town.
The RUV reports the crack is 150m but it could be longer.
The evacuated Icelandic town of Grindavik (R) is seen as smoke billow and lava is thrown into the air from a fissure during a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula 3 km north of Grindavik, western Iceland on December 19, 2023
(AFP via Getty Images)
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 13:50
Mapped- The volcano’s fissure and seismic activity
A map showing the latest earthquake activity
(The Icelandic Met Office)
A map showing the fissure opening marked with a red line.
(The Icelandic Met Office)
Lydia Patrick14 January 2024 13:20
