Impending volcanic eruption in Iceland: People probably won’t be able to go back for a long time

Authorities evacuated the town with around 3,700 residents a week ago as a precaution after a series of earthquakes. Several houses were damaged, said Civil Defense Director Vídir Reynisson, according to the Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Saturday. The broadcaster quoted him as saying that because of the ongoing uncertainty, residents would have to prepare to live elsewhere in the coming months. The British television station Sky News showed aerial photos of the place, some of which had clear cracks on the ground.

1,700 earthquakes within 24 hours

The weather service in Iceland believes it is likely that liquid rock will emerge from the magma tunnel in the southwest of the country that has been active for weeks. In the past 24 hours, 1,700 earthquakes were registered, including around 1,000 since midnight, the weather service wrote online on Saturday afternoon.

Tourist attraction closed

Grindavík is located around 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik and has been threatened by a possible volcanic eruption for days. Residents had to leave their homes a week ago because a 15-kilometer-long magma tunnel runs under Grindavík to the seabed. The nearby Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s most famous tourist attractions, had previously been closed.

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