Over 200 earthquakes were registered during Tuesday morning and forenoon on the Reykjanes Peninsula, just south of Reykjavik in the southwestern part of Iceland. In the small community of Grindavík, sirens sounded and around 40 homes were evacuated, according to the public service company Rúv.
The community has been severely affected by volcanic eruptions in recent years and is largely evacuated since before. But when rescue personnel tried to get all residents to leave, they were threatened with a pistol, according to Icelandic media. One person has been arrested, and the affected personnel have received support from the Red Cross due to the incident.
The activity in the volcano began around 7 am. By 10 am, the crack opened, and by the afternoon, it was about 1,200 meters long.
"It continues to expand southward," notes Iceland's Meteorological Office Vedurstofa in a situation report.
This is the eighth eruption at the Sundhnúkkr crater since December 2023.
The popular tourist destination Blue Lagoon, located nearby, was evacuated during the morning.
We estimate that there were around 150 guests. Including employees, there were a total of around 200 people on site, says Helga Árnadóttir at the facility.
Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, which is more than any other country in Europe.
