A powerful volcano erupted in Iceland on Sunday.
Footage shows molten lava spewing from the volcano, and consuming several houses in the evacuated town of Grindavik.
President Gudni Th Johannesson said in a televised address on Sunday that “a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula”, where a long-dormant volcanic system has awakened.
In fact, this was the second time a volcano on the peninsula had erupted in less than a month.
Advert
Kristin Jonsdottir, from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told Iceland’s RUV television: “Lava is flowing a few hundred metres north of the town – this is 400 to 500 metres. Lava flows towards Grindavik.”
No deaths have been reported - a series of small earthquakes alerted everyone that an eruption was imminent, and the nearby town was evacuated. However, a workman is missing after reportedly falling into a crack opened by the volcano.
The people of Grindavik - a town of 3,800 about 30 miles south-west of the capital, Reykjavik - have had a bit of a bad go of it recently.
They were previously evacuated back in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years dormant. That volcano ended up erupting on December 18 - but lava flowed away from the town, and residents were home on December 22, just in time for Christmas.
Since then, emergency workers have been building defensive walls that have stopped much of the lava flow from the new eruption short of the town.
Advert
While magma has been flowing out of the volcano, it isn't expected to release large amount of ash into the air - as was seen when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted back in 2010, causing widespread airspace closures over Europe.
Scientists said Monday that the eruption appeared to be dying down, but it was too soon to declare the danger over. Iceland's Meteorological Office said “it is difficult to estimate how long this eruption will last".
The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa - one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions - is closed temporarily because of the eruption.
Iceland sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, and sees on average one eruption every four to five years.