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

Buildings in Iceland’s Grindavik go up in flames as volcano’s lava reaches town

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.

Key points

• ‘Worst-case scenario’ as new crack forms and lava flows into houses for first time
• Volcano erupts again sparking new evacuation
• Second eruption in less than a month
• Multiple houses torched by lava
• ‘Black day’ for Grindavik – Iceland PM
• Mapped – The volcano’s fissure and seismic activity

[15 January 2024 04:30 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Blue Lagoon extends closure till Tuesday

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, extended its closure till 16 January due to the nearby volcanic eruption.

“The current eruption site is at a safe distance from Blue Lagoon,” a note on the spa’s website reads.

“All guests with bookings during this temporary closure period will be contacted.”

Services at the Blue Lagoon have been temporarily unavailable since November, when the fishing town of Grindavik was initially evacuated following intense seismic activity.

[15 January 2024 04:51 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Defence wall protected Grindavik from lava, says met office

Much of the lava flow from the volcano eruption was diverted from Grindavik due to the protective barrier dams built around the town, the Icelandic Met Office said.

Since November, defensive walls had been placed around the volcano in hopes of directing the magma away from the community.

But the walls of the barriers built north of Grindavik have been breached by the lava, which engulfed at least three houses.

“This continues to surprise us,” said Benedikt Ofeigsson, a geophysicist at the Meteorological Office.

[15 January 2024 05:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: 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)

[15 January 2024 05:30 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

At least three houses engulfed by lava

At least three houses in the fishing village of Grindavik were destroyed in lava, authorities said, adding that the eruption in the fissure has largely subsided.

“It seems to us that it has almost stopped, the lava flow by these houses,” says Böðvar Sveinsson, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

The eruption took place on Sunday north of the town following a series of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik.

The community of nearly 4000 people was evacuated overnight, Iceland’s RUV television reported.

[15 January 2024 06:00 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Watch: Homes in Iceland’s Grindavik go up in flames as volcano’s lava reaches town

[15 January 2024 06:30 · Alisha Rahaman Sarkar]

Iceland’s volcano eruption seen from plane window in passenger footage

A passenger on a plane heading over Iceland has shared 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.

More here.

[15 January 2024 07:00 · Matt Mathers]

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:

[15 January 2024 07:30 · Liam James]

In Pics: Houses destroyed in Grindavik

Volcano spews lava on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Eruption starts again just north of Grindavik (Micah Garen/Getty Images)

Volcano spews lava on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula (Anadolu via Getty Images)

[15 January 2024 08:08 · Tara Cobham]

‘Worst-case scenario’ as new crack forms and lava flows into houses for first time

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 after a new crack formed.

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.

A new crack later formed, said the forecaster, with lava flowing into the fishing town and torching at least three homes.

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.”

[15 January 2024 09:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch live: Iceland volcano erupts as lava reaches Grindavik town

Watch live as a volcano in Iceland continues to erupt on Monday, 15 January, after lava reached the town of Grindavik yesterday.

Much of the fishing town has been protected by defensive walls which were built during intense seismic activities last year, but at least three homes have been engulfed due to lava breaching barriers north of the town, officials said.

Almost 4,000 residents have been evacuated, although some farm animals were not able to be moved.

Sophie Thompson and Holly Patrick report: