Defences redirect flows away from key infrastructure in Grindavik but threat to nearby sites remains

Defensive barriers that were bolstered overnight around the fishing town of Grindavik appeared to have held, but a steadily slowing lava flow from the fourth volcanic eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula since December remained a threat on Sunday.

After weeks of warnings that semi-molten rock was building up under the ground, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Saturday night that the eruption, at 8.23pm local time (2023 GMT), had opened a nearly 3km long fissure in the earth between two mountains.

Police declare state of emergency and evacuate local town of Grindavik after volcanic activity

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

A volcanic eruption “started between Stóra Skógfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes peninsula”, said a statement from the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) on Saturday. Live video images showed glowing lava and billowing smoke.

Officials say no visible movement at site near Grindavík but it is possible lava may still be flowing underneath

Authorities in Iceland have downgraded the threat level from the volcano that erupted earlier this week, as officials said they could no longer observe volcanic activity at the site of the eruption.

The eruption on Monday opened a fissure in the ground about 2.5 miles (4km) long, spewing orange lava into the sky only 2 miles from the town of Grindavík.

Grindavík residents had been preparing to spend Christmas back at home after being evacuated

Until just after 10pm on Monday, when the earth opened up and spat out an otherworldly 4km-long wall of lava, Sígrún Ísdal had been planning to spend Christmas at home in Grindavík with her family. Like many residents of the fishing town on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula, who were all evacuated on 10 November, she had been preparing to move back after more than a month spent in the limbo of temporary accommodation.

Ísdal, who works at Grindavík sports centre, had even been in the town briefly on Monday evening to pick up a few possessions, as residents have recently been allowed to do. “There was just good weather and I didn’t see anything,” she said.

Fearing a significant event, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik

A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted, spewing lava and smoke across a large area after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country’s Meteorological Office has said.

Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik in November after the area was hit by a “seismic swarm” of more than 1,000 earthquakes in 24 hours.