Local authorities were forced to evacuate tourists from the world-famous Blue Lagoon geothermal resort on Wednesday due to a volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland.
The eruption began around 4 a.m. after intense seismic activity on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, Iceland’s meteorological service said.
“The campsite in Grindavik was evacuated shortly after the seismic activity began,” local media reported.
Lava is flowing from a crack in the south-east across a deserted area 700 to 1,000 metres wide. However, the molten rock does not pose a threat to infrastructure, the meteorological office said.
According to media reports, police and firefighters drove around Grindavik, warning residents of the danger. Most people left their homes without resistance, although, as deputy fire chief Petur Benediktsson admitted, there were some who were in no hurry to leave.
“We have a list of addresses, and if urgent evacuation is required, we will return,” he said.
The luxurious Blue Lagoon Iceland resort, famous for its geothermal waters, was also deserted. Tourists who had come to enjoy the northern exoticism had to be urgently evacuated to safe areas.
For Iceland, where volcanic activity has become almost commonplace, such measures are a well-rehearsed scenario, but each time the threat becomes more real.
Despite the impressive images of erupting lava, geophysicists are still calling this event “not very large-scale.”
Grindavik has been repeatedly affected by eruptions since November 2023, when a volcano that had been dormant for about 800 years woke up in the area.
