Authorities say it could be months before people evacuated from town of Grindavik can go home even if danger subsides

People in south-west Iceland remain on edge as they wait to see whether a volcano rumbling under the Reykjanes peninsula will erupt.

Civil protection authorities said that even if it does not, it is likely to be months before residents evacuated from the danger zone can safely return home.

Reykjanes peninsula continues to be hit by hundreds of earthquakes

Iceland’s prime minister has sought to reassure the nation as it braces for a volcanic eruption and the Reykjanes peninsula continues to be hit by hundreds of earthquakes.

Between midnight and early afternoon on Monday, the Icelandic meteorological office detected about 900 earthquakes as seismic activity between Sundhnúkur and Grindavík in south-west Iceland continued near the capital, Reykjavik. In recent days, a magma tunnel has formed under the peninsula, stretching out into the sea.

People of Grindavík, where eruption could happen within hours, permitted five minutes to collect pets and essentials

Some of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated from an Icelandic fishing town have been allowed to return briefly to their homes to collect pets and essential belongings, as experts warned that a volcano could erupt within days or even hours.

One resident from each household in one district of Grindavík was permitted to enter their home for five minutes on Sunday in what Iceland’s civil defence force called a “planned and controlled operation under the orders of the police”.

Scientists say rise in seismic activity confirms south-west region is in buildup phase

A seismic swarm has hit the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland with more than 5,500 small earthquakes in the last three days, raising the prospect of a volcanic eruption.

Iceland, located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, is a seismic and volcanic hotspot as the two plates move in opposite directions.