A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland after intense seismic activity and a series of small earthquakes in the area. In the midst of the eruption, all incoming and outgoing flights were stopped.
The Fagradalsfjall volcano, located about 32 km south of the capital of Reykjavik, erupted late on Friday night, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (ICO), which noted that all flights to and from neighboring Keflavik International Airport were canceled. interrupt.
The first image of the eruption. Taken from the Coast Guard helicopter. The southern end of the tongue is about 2.6 km from Suðurstrandarvegur. According to initial information, the fissure is about 200 m long. pic.twitter.com/MeRCLCtcrv
– Icelandic Meteorological Office – IMO (@Vedurstofan) 19 March 2021
A photo taken by the ICO helicopter and shared by the ICO shows a stream of glowing lava flowing down the mountain, and the office adds that the lava stream is only 2.6 km from the town of Suðurstrandarvegur.
More photos of the eruption spread on social media and the night sky turned red.
The authorities of Keflavik were sent to assess the situation, the ICO said, while local media reported that a Coast Guard helicopter had also been sent to the area, bringing two scientists along to determine the next steps.
A local government spokesman also announced that all highways around the volcano had been closed “So that people do not get too close.”
The volcano is located on a peninsula in southwestern Iceland and is in a seismic hotspot, which has seen about 40,000 small quakes since the end of February. This is the region’s alarm region for a volcanic episode. But, like noticed by a local seismologist, activities in the area “Almost completely dead” in the run-up to Friday’s eruption.
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