Iceland volcano - live: Eruption threat high as workers race to shield power plant
Fears an Icelandic volcano will erupt remain high as magma spreads underground and huge cracks appear in the roads of a town most at risk.
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said.
Around 900 earthquakes hit the south of the country on Monday, with tens of thousands of tremors reported in the region of Reykjanes in recent weeks.
Almost 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit the coastal town and a geothermal power station.
On Tuesday authorities scrambled to build a defence wall around the Svartsengi power plant, located just over six kilometers from Grindavik, to protect it from lava flows amid fears of an eruption.
Key Points
Defence walls built around power plant
Fears over flights in and out of Iceland
Eruption fears as magma spreads underground and cracks appear in roads
Where is Grindavik?
Town of Grinvadik ‘could be destroyed’ by eruption
Thousands told to evacuate amid fears of volcanic eruption
Mapped: Iceland’s earthquakes
11:44 , Athena Stavrou
There have been 800 earthquakes in Iceland since midnight alone.
Most of the seismic activity has occurred in the southwest of the nordic nation - around the Reykjanes ridge and peninsular.
The map shows all earthquake activity detected by the Icelandic Met Office in the past 48 hours.
800 earthquakes recorded since midnight
11:25 , Athena Stavrou
About 800 earthquakes have been recorded in Iceland since midnight - most of them in the middle of the magma tunnel.
Iceland’s Met Office said seismic activity has remained constant since Saturday with the main focus of the activity being around the evacuated town of Grindavik,
They added that part of the magma passage seems to be solidifying, especially at the edges but not at the upwelling area of ââmagma that is believed to be at Sundhnúk.
The probability of an eruption is still considered high. In the event of an eruption, most likely location is at the magma tunnel according to the Met Office.
Evacuated residents to return again
11:00 , Athena Stavrou
Some select Grindavík residents are to be allowed back into the area today once again to retrieve valuables and animals.
The town was initially evacuated on Saturday after strong earthquakes occurred in the area - which is near a volcano currently at risk of eruption.
The Police Commissioner in Suðurnes said access today is to be granted exclusively to residents who have not yet entered the area and who have been contacted.
They noted that only one person per household will be allowed to enter the area and urged people to make a list of items prior to their visit.
Geophysicist urges authorities to build defences
10:20 , Athena Stavrou
A geophysicist said construction of defences should still be built despite uncertainty on when and where an eruption may occur.
Freysteinn Sigmundsson spoke to local media this morning about the building of defences currently happening in Reykjanes.
He said that so far, the natural disaster is the biggest since the eruption in the Westman Islands 50 years ago - which erupted for six months and destroyed several hundred homes.
Currently, defences are being built around the Svartsengi power station near the evacuated town of Grindavík.
Could an eruption ground flights?
09:27 , Athena Stavrou
In 2010, a series of volcanic events at Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland triggered a huge amount of air travel disruption.
If another eruption happens at Fagradalsfjall volcano now, will it have the same impact on travel?
Simon Calder answers your travel questions:
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Magma just 500m below surface
08:14 , Athena Stavrou
An Icelandic Met Office official says it is likely that the magma under Grindavík has come very close to the surface, possibly around 500 meters.
Benedikt Ófeigsson said sulfur dioxide measured in the atmosphere at Grindavík is an indication that the magma lies very shallow.
“SO2 is not released from magma until very close to the surface. It just means the top kilometer,” he told local media.The last measurements, from this weekend, had measured magma at a depth of about 800 meters. Benedikt says, however, that he expects it to be shallower.“ We are talking about maybe 500 meters. It’s unclear, it’s so high pressure, it’s pressure dependent when it comes up. So it’s not possible to tell the depth directly, but it [the magma] must be very shallow for us to see SO2”.
300 earthquakes since midnight - but no eruption yet
07:22 , Athena Stavrou
Good morning and welcome to today’s liveblog on the volcano eruption warnings in Iceland.
As of 7am, there has been no eruption in Iceland and no sign of one.
A total of three hundred earthquakes have been recorded in and around the magma intrusion at Grindaviuk since midnight.
Increased seismic activity in Grindavik as more than 1,900 earthquakes recorded
07:00 , Shweta Sharma
Seismic activity has increased after midnight at Grindavik with more than 1,900 earthquakes recorded there in the last 24 hours, according to state broadcaster RUV.
However there are no signs of an immediate eruption, said Bjarka Kaldalón Friis, a natural disaster specialist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
A sinkhole in the town widened following the seismic activity.
Benedikt Ofeigsson, a geophysicist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, believes the magma could have reached a depth of about 500m.
BBC journalist was in Grindavík as evacuation began
06:30 , Shweta Sharma
The BBC’s Jessica Parker was reporting from Grindavik when authorities ordered an evacuation of the area over fears of an eruption.
She said she was let in very briefly in what was now an abandoned town in Iceland.
Residents were being allowed back into their homes to take their belongings in a tightly controlled operation yesterday.
She described it as a “ghost town”, expressing an eerie feeling as people evacuated.
Decision on Grindavik residents' return home to be made today
06:00 , Shweta Sharma
Iceland’s civil defence agency will decide whether to allow residents to return to Grindavik at a meeting later today.
Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, communications director of for the National Defence Coordination Centre, said the situation is changing every minute and a decision will be made in the meeting, according to state broadcaster RUV.
“You could say that’s what happens in the morning when the National Weather Service’s experts look at the data and see what can be done,” she said
She said decisions about the next steps are being taken constantly.
“There is a lot of talk about meetings. We found a lot. We’re in meetings all day, we’re taking stock every single hour,” she added.
She said that the response to the elevated levels of sulphur dioxide measured in Grindavik has been as planned.
Iceland races to shield geothermal plant from risk of volcanic eruption
05:30 , Shweta Sharma
Authorities in Iceland are racing to build defence walls around the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over 6kms (4 miles) from Grindavik.
It comes as the probability of an eruption remained high despite a decrease in seismic activity, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
Authorities said they were preparing to construct a large dyke designed to divert lava flows around the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.
Justice minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir said equipment and materials that could fill 20,000 trucks were being moved to the plant, according to state broadcaster RUV.
Construction of the protective dyke around the power station was awaiting formal approval from the government.
A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said it supplies power to the entire country, although a disruption would not affect power supply to Reykjavik.
Huge cracks appear on roads in volcano-threatened town
04:55 , Shweta Sharma
Iceland raises aviation alert amid volcano eruption fears
04:30 , Shweta Sharma
Authorities in Iceland have elevated their aviation alert to orange after increasing concern about a potential volcanic eruption.
Volcanic eruptions present a significant aviation hazard as they can release highly abrasive ash into the upper atmosphere, posing the potential for engine failure, impairment of flight control systems, and diminished visibility.
A major eruption in Iceland in 2010 caused widespread disruption to air travel between Europe and North America, costing airlines an estimated $3bn as they canceled more than 100,000 flights.
Iceland Met Office says eruption status unchanged
04:23 , Maira Butt
Iceland’s Met Office confirmed that the probability of an eruption remained “unchanged” and “gas does not appear unless magma is high in the earth’s crust”.
Meteorologists continue to keep a close eye on the region which was evacuated earlier on Tuesday after high levels of sufur dioxide were detected.
Top tourist attraction, Blue Lagoon, shut for days
03:22 , Maira Butt
Over 700,000 people visit the Blue Lagoon every year, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions. However, it has been shut until Thursday amid risks of a huge volcanic eruption that could obliterate the town.
Countless couples have had to cancel honeymoons and holidays to the romantic venue which features natural thermal springs and pearly blue water.
The town of Grindavik has been evacuated amid rising risks of an eruption.
Australia issues travel warning for Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula
03:06 , Shweta Sharma
The Australian government has issued a travel advisory for people, asking them to avoid areas near volcano eruption sites and in areas around the Reykjanes peninsula.
“Avoid areas near volcano eruption sites and areas close to mountains with steep slopes on the Reykjanes peninsula due to the danger of falling rocks,” the government’s Smarttraveller website said in an update.
“Volcanic and seismic activity around Mt. Thorbjörn, 40km southwest of Reykjavik and near the Blue Lagoon and Keflavik International Airport, has increased.”
Town could be obliterated in eruption
02:07 , Maira Butt
The town of Grindavik could be obliterated in an eruption, Lydia Patrick reports.
A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned.
The country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes in the past few days, prompting fears that the tremors could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country.
Thousands have been told to evacuate Grindavik as a precautionary measure, while a magma tunnel stretches below the surface. If an eruption occurs in or close to the town, the consequences will be devastating, volcanologist Armann Hoskuldsson warned.
He told state broadcaster RUV: “This is very bad news. One of the most serious scenarios is an eruption in the town itself, similar to that in Vestmannaeyjar 50 years ago. This would be much worse.”
Ragga Agustsdottir, who lives close to Grindavik, said residents were fearful of what could happen if an eruption struck. “The scenario on the table now is that it will happen in or just north of the town of Grindavik. There’s no good option here,” she told The Independent.
In case you missed it...
01:06 , Maira Butt
Lydia Patrick reports:
Iceland is bracing itself for a volcanic eruption that will arrive within “hours or days”, experts have warned.
Around 3,000 residents have evacuated the southwestern town of Grindavik close to the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system in the Reykjanes region.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Saturday there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula because of the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it was moving.
See the full piece here.
Construction of lava barriers begins
00:01 , Maira Butt
The construction of lava barriers has begun around Svartsengi power plant and the Blue Lagoon.
The walls are being built to shield the power plant from being damaged and destroyed in the event of an eruption.
Iceland’s Parliament approved a bill just before midnight last night to enable the building of lava barriers, which will be financed through a tax hike, according to Iceland Review.
Volcanic eruption will not be as harmful as fossil fuels
Tuesday 14 November 2023 23:15 , Maira Butt
Threats of an eruption have caused thousands of earthquakes in the last few days, but Mark Gongloff for Bloomberg writes that fossil fuels are still a hundred times more harmful.
In an attempt to clarify rumours circling on social media, the journalist confirmed that planet-warming gases could be emitted. But their scale and content would not be as harmful as the equivalent toxins emitted through human consumption and waste.
Icelandic Met Office reports increased levels of sulfur dioxide indicating “magma very high in earth’s crust"
Tuesday 14 November 2023 22:01 , Maira Butt
Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Met Office, has told RÚV that their new meters have detected increased levels of SO2, or sulfur dioxide.
He confirmed that the discovery had been shared with Grindavik’s police chief who had therefore made the decision to evacuation the town.
While he said this was their sole indication of a volcanic eruption occuring, he confirmed that gas does not appear this way unless magma is very high in the earth’s crust.
Residents allowed in for second day to quickly collect belongings
Tuesday 14 November 2023 21:03 , Maira Butt
Residents were allowed to return to the town of Grundavik to quickly collect belongings for a second day.
The evacuated citizens of the town at the centre of the disruption, were directed by police and authorities over designated safe roads to return to their homes and collect essential goods.
Over 4,000 people have been evacuated from the town.
In Pictures: Thousands evacuate as scientists warn eruption “likely”
Tuesday 14 November 2023 20:01 , Maira Butt
Iceland news channel apologises for behaviour of employee amid volcano chaos
Tuesday 14 November 2023 19:02 , Maira Butt
Iceland’s biggest news channel, RÚV, has apologised for the behaviour of an employee who was recorded trying to get into a locked property amid volcano chaos.
Residents had left their homes and evacuated the town of Grindavik, when the employee was recorded looking for keys to get into the property.
In a statement on their website, they said: “RÚV’s reporters have tried to cover the events in Grindavík with respect for the residents and their property, and the work practices seen in the video are not in the spirit of the work rules or the spirit in which the news agency operates.
We have attributed the incident to a misunderstanding and chaos at the scene, but will subsequently review our work procedures and work rules and urge all those who go to the scene to respect the privacy and property of Grindvíkin, and not cause them more inconvenience or grief than they already have.”
Could toxic gas spread across Europe if volcano erupts?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 17:45 , Maira Butt
Experts have discussed the possibilites of the spread of smoke and toxic gas across Europe in a repeat of the disruption caused in 2010 which saw hundreds of flights cancelled across Europe.
Sky News spoke to Dr Phil Collins, deputy dean and reader in geology and geotechnical engineering at Brunel University London, who suggested it could also be compared to the eruption of Laki in 1783 for comparison due to similarities in geology.
He told the broadcaster: “There may be a substantial release of volcanic gases such as sulphur dioxide which reacts with water in the ground and atmosphere to create tiny droplets of sulphuric acid, and fluorine.
“This may cause a significant health hazard to people in the region.
“A large Icelandic eruption at Laki in 1783 released enough toxic gas to kill large numbers of livestock in Iceland, leading to a famine.
“The gas spread across northern Europe, including the British Isles, leading to changes in weather patterns and a significant number of deaths from lung problems. There were knock-on effects elsewhere in the northern hemisphere.
“At present, it doesn’t look like a Laki-scale disaster is likely, but there will be local and regional effects.”
He said a smoke cloud was unlikely as in 2010 there was a glacier on top of the eruption - hence the rising cloud. That isn’t the case at Fagradalsfjall eruption, Dr Collins says.
Grindavik resident dashes back home to collect belongings
Tuesday 14 November 2023 17:00 , Matt Mathers
A Grindavik resident dashed back home to collect some belongings after the town was evacuated
Kristin Maria Birgisdottir, who works for the town municipality, said on Tuesday she only had the clothes she had worn for work on the day the town was evacuated.
"I’m getting prepared in case I get a chance to visit my house and get some of my belongings," said Birgisdottir, who has moved to a summer house with her family.
Some residents had to be driven into Grindavik in emergency responders’ cars, while most inhabitants were allowed to drive into Grindavik in their private cars accompanied by emergency personnel.
Reykjavik won’t be affected by any outage at power plant
Tuesday 14 November 2023 16:30 , Matt Mathers
Disruption to the Svartsengi geothermal power plant will not affect supplies in Iceland’s capital.
A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said the plant supplies power to the entire country, although a disruption would not affect power supply to Reykjavik.
Iceland’s justice minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir told state broadcaster RUV that equipment and materials that could fill 20,000 trucks were being moved to the plant.
Construction of the protective dyke around the power station was awaiting formal approval from the government.
800 earthquakes recorded in Reykjanes on
Tuesday 14 November 2023 16:00 , Matt Mathers
Some 800 earthquakes were recorded in the Reykjanes peninsula on Monday alone, Iceland’s Met Office has said.
"Less seismic activity typically precedes an eruption, because you have come so close to the surface that you cannot build up a lot of tension to trigger large earthquakes," said Rikke Pedersen, who heads the Nordic Volcanological Centre based in Reykjavik.
"It should never be taken as a sign that an outbreak is not on the way," she said.
River of magma formed ‘very quickly’
Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:45 , Matt Mathers
A nine-mile-long river of magma running beneath the Reykjanes peninsula remains active, authorities in Iceland say.
A geological expert said the river had formed “extremely quickly” and runs through Grindavik.
"What has happened extremely quickly is we have a magma-filled crack - a very long one," Kristin Jonsdottir, head of the Geoscience Research Department at the Icelandic Met Office, told Sky News.
"It extends over about 15km, it’s a vertical crack and it’s a really bad scenario since at the southern end, the crack goes through the town where about 3,000 people live," she added, referring to Grindavik.
Iceland volcano map - where is Grindavik?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:24 , Matt Mathers
Grindavik is a small fishing town of about 3,500 people in Iceland’s southwest Reykjanes peninsula.
The town, about 5 miles south of the Blue Lagoon, a geothermic bathing spa popular with locals and tourists, was evacuated over the weekend after large cracks began to appear in roads following thousands of earthquakes across the peninsula.
The tremors have sparked fears that the Gradalsfjal volcano - about 12 miles to the north of Grindavik - could erupt after researchers discovered a 9-mile long river of magma running through the peninsula.
Iceland shields geothermal plant from risk of volcanic eruption
Tuesday 14 November 2023 14:18 , Matt Mathers
Icelandic authorities were on Tuesday preparing to build defence walls around a geothermal power plant in the southwestern part of the country that they hope will protect it from lava flows amid concerns of an imminent volcanic eruption.
Iceland’s Justice Minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir told state broadcaster RUV that a large dike has been designed to protect the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over six kilometers from Grindavik, which powers around 35,000 homes across Iceland.
Equipment and materials that could fill 20,000 trucks were being moved to the plant, she said.
Construction of the protective dike around the power station was awaiting formal approval from the government. The plant produces hot and cold water and electricity for the Reykjanes peninsula.
A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said that the plant supplies power to the entire country although a disruption would not impact power supply to the capital Reykjavik.
Most pets and farm animals rescued from Grindavik
Tuesday 14 November 2023 14:00 , Tara Cobham
Most pets and farm animals had been rescued from Grindavik by Monday night, according to rescue charity Dyrfinna.
Almost all of the town's 3,800 inhabitants were briefly allowed back into the town on Monday to collect valuables, pets and livestock, the Icelandic department of civil protection and emergency management said in a statement, citing local police.
As of late Monday evening, the volcanic hazard assessment in and around Grindavik was unchanged from Sunday.
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 13:49 , Matt Mathers
As I write, the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity. Grindavik, a town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants, was evacuated on Saturday as experts assess the threat of a volcanic eruption.
Iceland’s main international airport, Keflavik, is just 10 miles north of the town. Yet flights are operating normally, which some may find surprising.
In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted and caused a complete shutdown of aviation for a week. Anyone who has a flight booked imminently may be fretting about a possible repeat.
Simon Calder reports:
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
easyJet says plane diverted en route to Iceland because of technical issue
Tuesday 14 November 2023 13:15 , Tara Cobham
easyJet has said the flight en route to Iceland’s second airport, Akureyri, diverted because of a technical issue.
A spokesperson told The Independent: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8849 from London Gatwick to Akureyri on 14 November diverted to Edinburgh due to a technical issue. The captain performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures.
“Once at it stand engineers inspected the aircraft and it has now continued to Akureyri. We would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience caused by the diversion and subsequent delay.
“The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
Eruption fears as magma spreads underground and cracks appear in roads
Tuesday 14 November 2023 12:37 , Tara Cobham
Fears an Icelandic volcano will erupt remain high as magma spreads underground and huge cracks appear in the roads of a town most at risk.
Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said. Around 900 earthquakes hit the south of the country on Monday, with tens of thousands of tremors reported in the region of Reykjanes in recent weeks.
Shocking images and footage have emerged showing roads split apart nearby, as their surfaces crack and buildings buckle under the pressure of the underground magma that has spread in recent weeks.
Experts said a nine-mile river of magma running beneath the peninsula was still active.
“All roads to Grindavik are closed and traffic on them is forbidden,” the Road Administration of Iceland wrote on Facebook, sharing footage of the damage.
Watch: Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption
Tuesday 14 November 2023 12:30 , Tara Cobham
Iceland flight diverted to Edinburgh
Tuesday 14 November 2023 11:50 , Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
An easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Iceland’s second airport, Akureyri, has turned back while over the Atlantic – and diverted to Edinburgh.
The Airbus A320 had taken off normally from the Sussex airport just before 7.30am. It was on course for the northern Icelandic airport and just passing the Faroe Islands, about 350 miles short of the Iceland shore, when it turned back and landed normally at Edinburgh.
The aircraft has now refuelled and taken off again for Akureyri. It is not known if the diversion was related the seismic activity in Iceland. The Independent has asked easyJet for a comment.
The new route to the northern city began only two weeks ago.
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 11:00 , Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Q Given the volcanic situation in Iceland, is it going to be another 2010 in aviation?
Raj
A As I write, the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity. Grindavik, a town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants, was evacuated on Saturday as experts assess the threat of a volcanic eruption. Iceland’s main international airport, Keflavik, is just 10 miles north of the town. Yet flights are operating normally, which some may find surprising.
In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted and caused a complete shutdown of aviation for a week. Anyone who has a flight booked imminently may be fretting about a possible repeat. Thankfully, the circumstances are very different. Eyjafjallajokull erupted with a glacier on top. The addition of melting water meant that the lava cooled very quickly into tiny fragments. These were promptly propelled into the atmosphere to a height of 30,000ft by the steam produced in the eruption. A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash were ejected and carried southeast towards the UK and continental Europe by the breeze.
Read more here:
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Inhabitants of Grindavik describe being whisked from homes
Tuesday 14 November 2023 10:11 , Tara Cobham
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”
Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Vera said.
Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 09:11 , Holly Evans
Iceland has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula in the past 48 hours.
Despite fears of an impending volcanic eruption, flights from the UK to Keflavik international airport 10 miles north of the eruption site are going ahead as usual.
On Sunday 12 November, all scheduled flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Manchester landed without incident.
Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears over volcano eruption?
Residents report constant shaking in town of Grindavik
Tuesday 14 November 2023 08:40 , Holly Evans
Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor in vulcanology at the University of Iceland, said most recent data indicated a smaller risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik.
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”
What are your rights if you are on holiday or are planning to go?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 07:54 , Holly Evans
The earth is at its most restless in Iceland right now. The Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity sparking hundreds of small earthquakes.
The town of Grindavík, just 10 miles south of Keflavik International Airport, has been evacuated as a precaution.
Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions and answers on consumer rights.
Read more from travel correspondent Simon Calder below
Iceland earthquakes: Your rights if you are on holiday there or are planning to go
How many active volcanoes are there in Iceland
Tuesday 14 November 2023 07:00 , Namita Singh
Iceland is accustomed to volcanic eruption and is home to 33 active volcanoes, reported AFP.
Reykjanes peninsula itself has seen three eruptions since 2021, one each year – in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.
But these three were located away from infrastructure or populated areas. The country is susceptible to earthquakes because it sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart, pushing North America and Eurasia away from each other along the line of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
A powerful mantle plume, an area that is hotter than the surrounding magma, sits below it, which melts and thins the Earth’s crust, putting Iceland at a constant risk of volcanic eruption.
In pictures: A view of cracks on a road due to volcanic activity near Grindavik
Tuesday 14 November 2023 06:30 , Namita Singh
Locals return home to collect belongings
Tuesday 14 November 2023 06:00 , Namita Singh
Residents of Grindavik were allowed back briefly on Monday to collect their belongings.
Thousands of people were evacuated from the south-western Reykjanes Peninsula over the weekend after the region was hit by hundreds of quakes amid fears of a volcanic eruption.
Pedrag, a native Serb who evacuated with his wife on Friday, said the couple went home on Monday to retrieve some belongings.
An evacuation order for Grindavik was given in the early hours of Saturday.
“If you talk to Icelandic people who have lived there all their lives, they say they have never felt something like that,” he told the BBC.
The police in Suðurnes decided to close Grindavík at 4pm yesterday. People had time until then to collect necessities from their homes before the town was evacuated again.
The Reykjanes peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500-750 metres long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.
Tuesday 14 November 2023 05:30 , Namita Singh
Roughly 900 earthquakes rattled Iceland since midnight, many of them reported along a 9-mile magma tunnel running beneath the seaside town of Grindavik, said the Icelandic Meteorological Office on Monday, according to national public service broadcaster RÚV.
Magma has been measured at a depth of 800m at the shallowest point of a 15km magma tunnel that runs through the town.
Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 05:00 , Namita Singh
Iceland has declared a state of emergency after hundreds of earthquakes struck the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula over the weekend.
Despite fears of an impending volcanic eruption, flights from the UK to Keflavik international airport 10 miles north of the eruption site are going ahead as usual, report Simon Calder and Lydia Patrick.
Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears over volcano eruption?
Watch: Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
Tuesday 14 November 2023 04:30 , Namita Singh
Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption
ICYMI: Town of Grindavik could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
Tuesday 14 November 2023 04:00 , Matt Mathers
A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned.
The country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes in the past few days, prompting fears that the tremors could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country.
Lydia Patrick reports:
Iceland earthquake: Town could be obliterated if volcanic eruption strikes
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Tuesday 14 November 2023 03:36 , Namita Singh
From fears of the effect of the volcanic situation in Iceland on the aviation sector to whether one should go ahead with the vacation plans, our travel correspondent Simon Calder answers your questions on the land of ice and fire.
Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?
Inhabitants whisked from home amid fear of volcanic eruption
Tuesday 14 November 2023 03:09 , Namita Singh
Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.
Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.
“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Mr Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.
“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation, it’s the whole of Iceland.”
Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.
Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.
“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Mr Vera said.
