A volcanic eruption has occurred on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland following a period of intense earthquake activity.
According to The BBC, prior to the eruption, approximately 4,000 individuals were evacuated from Grindavik, a fishing town, and the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was closed.
At 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT), the Icelandic Met Office confirmed the eruption’s commencement north of the town.
The seismic activity, which led to the evacuation, was heading towards Grindavik and was approximately 4km (2.5 miles) northeast of the town.
Social media showcased images and videos of lava spewing from the volcano an hour after a series of seismic events were detected.
The eruption, visible from Reykjavik about 42km (26 miles) away, illuminated half of the sky in red, with billowing smoke observed.
Authorities have cautioned individuals to avoid the area due to the ongoing volcanic activity.
The fissure in the volcano spans approximately 3.5km, with lava flowing at a rate of roughly 100 to 200 cubic metres per second, significantly higher than previous eruptions in the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years.
Iceland’s foreign minister, Bjarni Benediktsson said on X, formerly Twitter, that “there are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland, and international flight corridors remain open”.
“The jets [of lava] are quite high, so it appears to be a powerful eruption at the beginning,” he said.
