A volcano began erupting in south-western Iceland on Tuesday, just hours after authorities evacuated a nearby community and the Blue Lagoon spa.
Flames and smoke shot through the air as the volcanic fissure opened near the town of Grindavik, where some 40 homes have been evacuated, national broadcaster RUV reported.
The community, located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, was largely evacuated a year ago when the volcano came to life after lying dormant for 800 years.
Webcams footage from the showed molten rock spewing out toward the community.
A hot water pipeline has now broken in the northern part of Grindavík, the Icelandic Met Office has confirmed.
"The fissure is now about 500 metres long and has reached through the protective barrier north of Grindavik," Iceland's Met Office said in a statement.
"The fissure continues to grow, and it cannot be ruled out that it may continue to open further south."
The magma flow began at about 6.30am local time accompanied by an intense earthquake storm similar to previous eruptions, the Icelandic Met Office said.
In an update, they added the weather forecast indicates southwesterly winds today on Tuesday are carrying volcanic gas northeastward, including over the capital area.
'Flowing lava'
Professor Agust Gudmundsson from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway University told LBC that is a "very powerful eruption".
He said the main danger for the town of Grindavik is "flowing lava".
He warned that this is the first time the fissure (a volcanic vent from which lava erupts) has passed inside the protective barriers meaning that the town, which is home to around 4,000 residents, now has "no protection".
However, he did say the eruption – which is expected to last for a few days – should have no impact on air travel.
Last week, seismic activity was reported in the area.
Around ten earthquakes were recorded near the magma tunnel, prompting heightened vigilance among monitoring teams.
The evacuation of Grindavík – which is home to the famous Blue Lagoon – and the surrounding areas has begun, according to Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, spokesperson for Civil Defense (Almannavarnir).
They added magma volume beneath Svartsengi is at its highest since the eruption series began in December 2023.
