Iceland volcano live: Lava flows into Grindavik as country faces ‘daunting’ time after ‘worst-case scenario’
Thousands of residents evacuated after second volcanic eruption near Grindavik in less than a month
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Lava is flowing into Grindavik as Iceland’s President said the country is facing a “daunting” time after a fresh volcanic eruption.
An expert fears the “worst-case scenario” has become the reality in Iceland as lava has flowed into people’s homes for the first time, torching at least three.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the volcano in the southwest of the country erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday, suspecting the fissure had since forced itself under the town of Grindavik.
President Gudni Th Johannesson said in a televised address on Sunday that “a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula”, where a long-dormant volcanic system has awakened.
When asked if the worst-case scenario had happened, Benedikt Halldórsson, an expert in earthquake activity at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service: “Yes, I don’t think it’s possible to imagine anything worse than it erupting in a settlement and lava flowing onto houses.”
Geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said on Monday morning that the eruption had “decreased considerably” overnight, but that it was impossible to say when it would end.
Nearly 4,000 residents were evacuated. No one has been killed in the eruptions, but a workman is missing after reportedly falling into a crack opened by the volcano.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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:
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.
ICYMI: Huge search for man who fell into crack that opened in Grindavik after Iceland earthquakes
A manhunt has been launched after a worker fell into an enormous crack created by the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in Iceland.
The missing man was working to fill in crevasses formed by earthquakes and volcanic activity in the fishing town of Grindavik when he fell on Wednesday, according to local media.
Barney Davis reports:
Huge search for man who fell into crack opened in Grindavik after Iceland earthquakes
Mayor of Grindavik Fannar Jónasson says the accident took “everyone by surprise”
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