Glindavik, Iceland – A volcano in southwestern Iceland again thrusts into the air with lava and smoking repeatedly on Tuesday, over a year.
The eruption began at 9:45am local time (0945 GMT), causing a warning siren in the town of Grindavik, where webcams showed melted rocks towards the community. The volcano was still active, but it had subsided by the late afternoon, according to the Icelandic Met office.
Police and civil defense officials evacuated the geothermal spa at Glindavik and one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, Blue Lagoon.
The community, located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, was largely evacuated in November 2023 when the volcano became lively after it had been dormant for about 800 years.
Around 40 homes were evacuated on Tuesday, but police reported that some residents refused to leave.
“People who chose to stay in town don’t seem to think I have 50 people involved in the business, some of which are volunteers,” South Iceland police chief Ulfer Lulfvixon told local broadcaster RUV. “We ask that more consideration be taken into consideration in civil defense.”
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Iceland is located above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic Ocean. The most devastating recent incident was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spitted clouds of ash into the atmosphere, disrupting a transatlantic air travel for several months.
The flight was not affected by the eruption on Tuesday.
By Marco di Marco
