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A volcano has erupted in Iceland after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country’s Meteorological Office said.
In a “warning” message on its website on Monday night, the Met Office states: “Eruption has started north of Grindavik by Hagafell.”
Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik in early November and temporarily closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
Residents have since been allowed to return home during the day.
The eruption began at 22.17pm, following an “earthquake swarm” an hour earlier, according to the Met Office.
The quake that triggered the eruption may have been a magnitude 4.2, according to unverified data reported by local news outlets.
A livestream of the eruption showed the evening sky lit up in red, orange, and yellow, as lava appeared to be shooting into the air.
“There are super-high plumes of magma. Now it’s a total guess, but the highest plumes are probably 150 metres. This means that the lava is flowing very quickly from the crater,” volcanologist Þorvald Þórðarson told Iceland Monitor.
“This may be close to the worst case imaginable. Unfortunately.”
A Coast Guard helicopter is en route to the eruption site to determine its exact location and size, officials said Monday evening.
The eruption is the fourth in three years on the peninsula, a seismic hotspot, Iceland Monitor reports.
The rugged peninsula is located directly southwest of the capital Reykjavík.
The country, situated on tectonic plates moving in opposite directions, is nicknamed the Land of Fire and Ice and has more than 30 active volcanic systems.
This is a breaking news story – more to follow