Residents in Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik are waking up to an erupted volcano.
A volcano erupted in Reykjavik just days after several earthquakes hit the country of Iceland.
Several videos have flooded the internet which show lava and smoke in the vicinity of the volcano.
As of right now, the capital city is on red alert until further notice.
Watch the volcano activity here:
Bjorn Steinbekk documented the Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption during the six months in which it took place just 40 km from Iceland's capital Reykjavik.
This is a bird's eye view of the crater.
[HD: https://t.co/mwybexxu8D ]pic.twitter.com/moLjAzQXt4
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 3, 2022
A volcano in southwest Iceland has begun erupting in an uninhabited valley located not far from Keflavik Airport — in pictures https://t.co/BfnJDdgfgn pic.twitter.com/ldHwj3BvEo
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 4, 2022
Reuters had more on the story:
A volcano has erupted on a mountain near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik after days of rising earthquake activity in the area, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Wednesday.
Images and livestreams by local news outlets MBL and RUV showed lava and smoke spewing from a fissure in the ground on the side of the Fagradalsfjall mountain, which last year saw an eruption that lasted six months.
Tourists and residents should avoid the area due to poisonous gases, although there was no immediate risk of damage to critical infrastructure, the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement.
A “code red” was declared to prohibit airplanes from flying over the site although helicopters were sent in to survey the situation, the IMO told Reuters.
If the outbreak was confirmed to be similar to the fissures seen last year, the aviation alert would likely be lowered to orange, signalling less danger, an agency spokesperson said.
“Currently, there have been no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
NEW: Iceland volcano erupts near capitalhttps://t.co/8Pvhy5dD4N
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 4, 2022
ALERT 🚨 A volcano erupted in Iceland in a fissure near Reykjavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said as lava could be seen spewing out of the ground in live images on local media https://t.co/28YNlEktmp pic.twitter.com/rDTIhXcchz
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 3, 2022
ABC News had these details to add:
Visitors to a volcano in south-west Iceland have described being “mesmerised” by “dancing flames” as it began erupting on Wednesday.
The eruption came just eight months after the Fagradalsfjall volcano’s last blast officially ended.
Despite warnings from the Icelandic Meteorological Office urging people not to go near the site, many still gathered to watch the dramatic natural spectacle unfold.
“It’s just crazy,” Icelandic photographer Gunnar Freyr said after coming to watch the eruption.
“I thought the eruption was going to happen maybe like in a few weeks, and now it’s here and it is so beautiful.”
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