Iceland volcano erupts again, spewing lava and cutting off heat and hot water supplies
- The eruption site is close to Grindavík, a coastal town of about 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on December 18
- The eruption began at about 6am local time and triggered the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava up to 50 metres into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people.
This is the sixth eruption on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.
The eruption began at about 6am local time along a 3km (nearly two-mile) fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water after a river of lava engulfed a supply pipeline.
The strength of the eruption had decreased by midafternoon, the Met Office said, though lava continued to spew from parts of the fissure and a huge plume of steam rose over a section of the crack where magma mixed with groundwater.
The eruption site is about 4km (2.5 miles) northeast of Grindavík, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on December 18. The Meteorological Office said there was no immediate threat to the town on Thursday.
