Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson describes catastrophe as a ‘black day’ for nation, although no fatalities reported.
A volcano has erupted in Iceland, sending molten lava flows to the outskirts of a small fishing city and engulfing houses.
A minimum of three homes have been set alight on Sunday as lava reached the sting of the port of Grindavik, in accordance with dwell pictures broadcast on public tv.
There have been no reviews of deaths or accidents and airline flights weren’t affected.
Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson described the catastrophe as a “black day” for his nation.
“No lives are in peril, though infrastructure could also be below menace,” Johannesson mentioned on the social media website X.
The eruption occurred simply earlier than 8am native time (8:00 GMT) after native authorities evacuated the 4,000-strong inhabitants of the city following a collection of small earthquakes, the Icelandic Meteorological Workplace mentioned.
A crack that opened within the floor about 450 metres (500 yards) from Grindavik on Sunday morning had changed into a fissure measuring about 900 metres (984 yards) lengthy as of 18:45 GMT, the Meteorological Workplace mentioned.
A second fissure opened at about noon on the sting of city, measuring about 100 metres (109 yards) by night, in accordance with the workplace.
It’s the second time the volcano situated southwest of the capital Reykjavik has erupted in lower than a month and the North Atlantic nation’s fifth volcanic eruption in lower than three years.
Grindavik was evacuated in November after massive cracks opened within the earth upfront of an eruption on December 18.
Earlier than Sunday’s eruption, emergency employees had been constructing defensive partitions across the city, which residents had returned to on December 22, however had not accomplished work on the boundaries.
Native resident Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson described the catastrophe as “tragic” for the close-knit neighborhood, which he likened to a household.
“It’s unreal, it’s like watching a movie,” Gudjonsson, 55, advised the AFP information company.
Iceland, which is residence to about 370,000 individuals and situated some 1,300km (807 miles) northwest of the UK, is residence to greater than 30 lively volcanoes, making the north European island a chief vacation spot for volcano tourism.
