Einar Hjörleifsson from the Icelandic Meteorological Office confirmed this to broadcaster RUV on Sunday. “If activity does not continue to decrease and the lava flow does not stop, it should reach the pipe in the next few hours.” Specially built dikes would stop and divert the lava so that there is no danger to people so far.
An eruption in February disrupted district heating supplies for more than 20,000 people following lava flows destroyed roads and pipelines.
On Saturday evening, a volcanic eruption occurred for the fourth time in four months near the port town of Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula. These are so-called fissure eruptions, which usually do not involve large explosions or significant spread of ash.
Picture gallery: Volcanic eruption in Iceland
(Photo: APA/AFP/Icelandic Coast Guard/HANDOUT) Bild 1/19
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The bright red-orange eruptions might also be seen from the capital Reykjavik, which is regarding 55 kilometers northeast of Grindavík.
Only a few people had recently returned to the town, which was evacuated following the first outbreak in autumn, and they have now been brought to safety once more. The tourist attraction Blue Lagoon, where around 700 people were staying, was also evacuated on Saturday evening. Air traffic to Keflavik International Airport was not affected.
The Blue Lagoon tourist attraction, where around 700 people were present, was immediately evacuated. A few residents who had since returned to Grindavík were also taken out of town for safety reasons. But there is no danger to people, it said.
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Scientists tried to get an idea of the situation from a helicopter. The eruption was once more announced by strong seismic activity. Experts counted around 80 tremors. The length of the crack in the earth was around 3.5 kilometers long. Rescue workers complained regarding tourists who had traveled to the region out of sensationalism.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said early Sunday morning that the lava continued to flow south and southeast at an estimated speed of one kilometer per hour. The scenario that the lava reaches the sea must be taken into account. Some of the lava is also flowing towards the protective barriers for the coastal town of Grindavík, which was evacuated in November, and is now only around 200 meters away from them. The advance warning phase for the eruption was very short: the first warning to the Ministry of Civil Protection was received only 40 minutes before the first eruption began.
Grindavík is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 55 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik. There have been four volcanic eruptions on the peninsula since mid-December, and in January the lava even covered three houses on the northern foothills of the town of 4,000 inhabitants. The future of the community is uncertain.
The government has already presented a draft law that would allow residents to sell their residential property to a state-owned company. The volcano erupted for the first time on December 18th and for the second time on January 14th. A third, smaller eruption was recorded on February 8th.
