Dramatic images and footage from south-west Iceland show lava flowing from an approximately 4km fissure following the eruption north of the town of Grindavik at around 10.15pm on Monday (18 December).
It follows months of heightened seismic activity in and around the town, which has been evacuated. The eruption is visible from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, which is around 25 miles to the north-east.
In an update issued during the early hours of Tuesday morning (19 December), Iceland’s met office said the intensity of the volcanic activity was already decreasing following the initial eruption, although it stressed this was not necessarily indicative of the eruption drawing to a close.
Flights to nearby Keflavik airport, Iceland’s only international airport, are continuing as scheduled according to the country’s main carriers.
However, after confirming on Monday it had partially reopened, Blue Lagoon has been forced to close again. "A volcanic eruption commenced in Sundhnukagigar on the evening of 18 December," read a statement.
"As a result, we have temporarily closed our facilities in Svartsengi. All guests with confirmed bookings in the upcoming days will be contacted. We will continue to monitor the progress and maintain close communication with the authorities, prioritising safety and wellbeing."
Icelandair said at this time, the eruption was not affecting its operations, or those at Keflavik airport. "Our flight schedule remains unchanged," it said in a statement. "We’re monitoring the situation closely and will inform our passengers of any new developments."
https://twitter.com/Vedurstofan/status/1736893338563838110
Iceland’s newest airline, Play, said it didn’t expect any disruption to its flight schedule, but like Icelandair stressed the situation was being monitored closely. "We ask all passengers booked on upcoming flights to keep a close eye on messages from us regarding possible disruption to our flight schedule," it said.
Keflavik airport acknowledged the eruption, pointing anyone booked to travel through the airport to Iceland’s civil protection department and its meteorological office.
Iceland’s foreign minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, posted to Twitter/X: "There are no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland, and international flight corridors remain open."
