A new volcanic eruption occurred this morning after 7:00 (8:00 in Italy) southwest of the Icelandic capital Rejkyavik. The eruption has resumed on the Reykjaness peninsula, much further south than that of December 18, writes the Icelandic newspaper MorgunblaÐiÐ. The National Police Public Security Department declared a state of emergency.
The Icelandic town of Grindavík was completely evacuated just before four in the morning (3:00 in Italy) due to a new volcanic eruption and just after 6:00 the intervention team was ordered to leave the area. The Icelandic newspaper MorgunblaÑiÑ reports it. The eastern part of Grindavík remained without electricity. Geoscientists believe that the magma may be located directly beneath the city. The Svartsengi Blue Lagoon has evacuated all its areas of operation. Geoscientists from the Icelandic Meteorological Office are assessing the situation in the vicinity of Grindavík in light of the significantly increased seismic activity that has occurred since yesterday evening.
Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir after the start of the new volcanic eruption declared that “the situation is terrifying”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2024/01/14/nuova-eruzione-in-islanda- city-of-grindavik evacuated-state-of-emergency-declared-151dd2de-a59f-438c-a390-053118e79f52/.”It’s scary to see how close the eruption to Grindavík started this morning,” he said. This was reported by the Icelandic media.
A photo taken by an mbl.is photographer on the Coast Guard helicopter clearly shows the lava approaching the town of Grindavík, inhabited by fishermen who were evacuated in the night immediately after the eruption began. “This is the scenario we feared the most, lava near a town. The lava flows into the garden”, reported one of the residents who had to abandon their homes. Live images published already overnight by local media show jets of glowing orange lava rising against the dark winter sky. This is the fifth volcanic eruption in Iceland in two years. Iceland is home to 33 active volcanic systems, the highest number in Europe, and straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a fissure in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.