Iceland. Volcano eruption. The endangered city of Grindavik

The eruption occurred after a series of earthquakes north of the city of Grindavik. On the night of Saturday to Sunday, more than a hundred residents who had returned to their homes after the previous eruption were evacuated. The town, which is inhabited by about four thousand people, lives partly without electricity.

A volcanic fissure opened, and lava flowed several hundred meters north of the city of Grindavik and flowed towards it. It could take half a day to a day to get there, said Kristin Jónsdóttir, a natural hazards expert at the Icelandic Institute of Meteorology (IMO). According to what was reported by Reuters, the lava approached 450 meters from the city.

– Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir said in an interview with local media: – Of course, it is terrifying how close the lava is to the city.

A nearby tourist attraction – the Blue Lagoon pool – and access roads were closed.

“No lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be,” Icelandic President Gudni Johansson wrote on social media. He added that there were no disturbances in air traffic.

The previous eruption occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula on December 18, and was preceded by a series of seismic shocks that lasted for weeks. A fissure several kilometers long was formed, and lava flowed from it. The eruption itself did not threaten the town of Grindavik because the lava did not flow towards it, but earlier, as a result of strong earthquakes, there was serious damage to roads and infrastructure. In recent weeks, authorities have built earth and rock barriers to prevent lava from entering.

In Grindavik, rescuers completed a failed search for a worker who fell into a volcanic fissure on Wednesday while working to bridge the crack. It was considered that everything was done to save the man.