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Iceland volcano: lava advances after fourth eruption since December

  • Lava flow ‘slow and steady’ after Iceland police declare state of emergency
  • Latest volcano eruption – the fourth since December – began on Saturday

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People watch as molten lava flows out from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, western Iceland. Photo: AFP

Lava from a new volcanic fissure on an Icelandic peninsula, the fourth eruption to hit the area since December, steadily advanced on Sunday, but the eruption’s intensity had decreased, authorities said.

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Icelandic police declared a state of emergency shortly after the eruption at 8.23pm local time on Saturday.

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said response workers were monitoring the lava’s advance, “which has been slow and steady since” Sunday morning.

It said that the lava was some 200 metres (650 feet) from the water distribution pipe coming from the nearby Svartsengi power plant.

An eruption near Grindavík, Iceland. Photo: Public Security Department of Icelandic Police via Reuters
An eruption near Grindavík, Iceland. Photo: Public Security Department of Icelandic Police via Reuters

“But during the night, the intensity of the eruption decreased and now there are three active openings on the eruptive fissure,” the IMO said in a statement, adding that “seismic activity also significantly decreased overnight”.

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