In Pictures

Iceland in state of emergency after volcano erupts, fourth time in 3 months

No confirmed deaths have been reported from the latest volcanic eruption, the fourth since December.

This image from video provided by Iceland Civil Defense shows lava erupting from a volcano between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell — This image from video provided by Iceland Civil Defence shows lava erupting from a volcano between Hagafell and Stori-Skogfell, Iceland, on March 16, 2024. [Handout/Iceland Civil Defence via AP Photo]

Icelandic police declared a state of emergency on Saturday as lava spewed from a new volcanic fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December.

A “volcanic eruption has started between Stori-Skogfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula,” said a statement from the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). Live video images showed glowing lava and billowing smoke.

Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management announced it had sent a helicopter to narrow down the exact location of the new fissure. The authority also said the police had declared a state of emergency due to the eruption.

According to the IMO, it occurred close to the same location as a previous eruption on February 8. Lava appeared to flow south towards the dykes built to protect the fishing village Grindavik, it said.

Just after 22:00 GMT, “the southern lava front was just 200 metres [656 feet] from the barriers on the eastern side of Grindavik and moving at a rate of about one km per hour”, it added.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon thermal spa, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, when the eruption began, national broadcaster RUV said.

No flight disruptions were reported at nearby Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport.

The eruption site is a few kilometres northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people about 50km (30 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, that was evacuated before the initial eruption in December. A few residents who had returned to their homes were evacuated again on Saturday.

Grindavik was evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years with a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the ground north of the town.

The volcano eventually erupted on December 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on January 14 sent lava towards the town. Defensive walls that had been bolstered after the first eruption stopped some of the flow, but several buildings were consumed by the lava.

Both eruptions lasted only a matter of days. A third eruption began February 8. It petered out within hours, but not before a river of lava engulfed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water to thousands of people.

RUV quoted geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson as saying that the latest eruption is the most powerful so far. The IMO said some of the lava was flowing towards the defensive barriers around Grindavik.

Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular eruptions and is highly experienced at dealing with them. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.

No confirmed deaths have been reported from any of the recent eruptions, but a workman was declared missing after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano.

An emergency vehicle is stationed on a road leading to volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell — An emergency vehicle is stationed on a road leading to volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stori-Skogfell, Iceland on Saturday, March 16, 2024. Lava spewed Saturday from a new volcanic fissure on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December, authorities said. [Marco di Marco/AP Photo]

Spectators watch plumes of smoke from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stóri-Skógfell — Spectators watch plumes of smoke from volcanic activity between Hagafell and Stori-Skogfell on Saturday, March 16, 2024. [Marco di Marco/AP Photo]

The skyline of Reykjavik against the backdrop of orange coloured sky — The skyline of Reykjavik is against the backdrop of orange coloured sky due to molten lava flowing out from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula north of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland on March 16, 2024. [Halldor Kolbeins/AFP]

People on the outskirts of Reykjavik take pictures and selfies with the orange coloured sky as molten lava flows out from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula. [Halldor Kolbeins/AFP]

A handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard — This picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveillance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. [Handout/Icelandic Coast Guard via AFP]

Smoke rises as volcano erupts near Grindavik, Iceland, March 16, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. [Jorge Reis via Reuters]

This aerial view taken on February 9, 2024 near the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and retreat hotel in Grindavik, Iceland shows a lava field covering a road to the Blue Lagoon, while the Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant can be seen in the background. Icelanders were working on February 9 to get hot water supplies fixed in thousands of houses a day after a third volcanic eruption in two months, as experts said the eruption seemed to be ending. [Halldor Kolbeins/AFP]