A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland after weeks of intense earthquake activity. About 4,000 people were evacuated last month from Grindavik, a fishing town about 4km (2.5 miles) away. The eruption started north of the town at 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT) on Monday, the Icelandic Met Office said.
A resident living near Grindavik described “crazy” and “scary” scenes that night, and said she could still see the volcano exploding on Tuesday.
Iceland has been braced for volcanic activity for weeks. Since late October, the region around the capital Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity.
The eruption can be seen from Reykjavik, which is about 42km north-east of Grindavik.
An eyewitness in the capital told the BBC that half of the sky in the direction of the town was “lit up in red” from the eruption, and smoke could be seen billowing into the air.
Experts say they don’t expect the eruption to bring the same level of disruption as one that took place elsewhere in Iceland in 2010, which halted European air travel.
Credit: bbc.com
