Nordic country declares emergency over volcanic eruption threat

An entire town in Iceland has been evacuated due to a magma tunnel lying beneath it, and the risk of a fissure opening up

Iceland has declared a state of emergency following strong seismic activity in the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula. The entire town of Grindavik has been evacuated, President Gudni Johannesson announced on Saturday.

Around 800 earthquakes have been recorded on the peninsula since midnight, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) informed on Saturday. According to its statement, “the likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the near future is deemed considerable.”

 Overnight, the Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management declared “an emergency/distress phase” and ordered all residents of Grindavik, a fishing town of about 3,300, to evacuate.

“In Iceland we know the forces of nature. We hope for the best, but are prepared for all eventualities,” the president later posted on X (formerly Twitter), adding that Grindavik had been “successfully evacuated.”

A magma corridor lies beneath the town, Icelandic national broadcaster RUV reported, citing local meteorologists. A fissure could reportedly open at any point along the tunnel and cause a lava eruption, including possibly in the town itself.

Huge cracks have opened up on the Grindavík golf course in #Iceland due to the many earthquakes they have had….