Tourists and residents evacuated as volcano erupts in Iceland

Tourists and residents person been evacuated arsenic a volcano erupted successful south-west Iceland, threatening a municipality and fashionable attraction.

The volcano has been spewing lava successful a fiery show of orangish and reddish since the eruption began successful the morning, creating a immense ace successful the crushed which has grown to 1.2km (0.75 miles) long.

Multiple earthquakes person occurred successful the volcanic country passim the day.

The volcano is adjacent to the sportfishing municipality of Grindavik and the celebrated Blue Lagoon spa. A tiny fig of radical refused to evacuate the town, section media reported.

Grindavik nonmigratory Asrun Kristinsdottir told the BBC she fled aft proceeding exigency sirens aboriginal successful the morning.

Living adjacent the volcano for astir of her beingness meant she ever had bags packed and acceptable to go. But she said this clip was antithetic due to the fact that of "constant" quakes arsenic she was preparing to leave.

The protective barriers astir Grindavik person been breached, arsenic a caller eruptive fissure opened a fewer 100 meters inside, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported.

It was "extremely difficult" to spot this enactment wrong the town's information barriers, said Ms Kristinsdottir, who serves arsenic president of Grindavik municipality council.

People had been asked to "leave the information zone", the region's constabulary commissioner Ulfar Ludviksson told Iceland's RUV broadcaster. But helium said individuals staying successful "seven oregon 8 houses there... person decided to stay successful the town".

There were fears that the municipality was "in information of having lava flows entering the inhabited area", said Rikke Pedersen from the Nordic Volcanological Centre.

A blistery h2o tube has breached successful the bluish portion of Grindavik, which confirms that sizeable cracking has occurred wrong the town, the IMO said.

However, volcanic enactment eased disconnected successful the aboriginal day connected Tuesday.

Thormar Omarrson runs a pizza edifice successful Grindavik that was forced to adjacent owed to the eruption.

He told the BBC helium had lived successful the municipality for 30 years but relocated with his household successful 2024 aft the authorities warned astir the expanding hazard posed by eruptions.

Leaving was "heartbreaking", Mr Omarrson said. "My household was calved and raised determination and present their assemblage is gone."

He said immoderate of his friends successful Grindavik had refused to evacuate: "When you unrecorded determination successful your location you privation to beryllium near unsocial successful your home."

Most of the 4,000 residents of Grindavik near successful a wide evacuation successful 2023 due to the fact that of the dangers of the volcanic activity. The volcano has erupted respective times since.

The magnitude of the magma that formed connected Tuesday nether the crater bid stretched to astir 11 km (6.8 miles) - the longest that has been measured since 11 November 2023, meteorologists said. The magma corridor extends astir 3km further northeast than seen successful erstwhile eruptions.

Based connected existent upwind direction, state contamination from the eruption volition question northeast towards the superior area, the IMO added.

The eruption, which began astir 09.45 section clip (10:45 BST), occurred aft respective earthquakes deed the country known arsenic the Sundhnuk crater range.

Multiple eruptions person occurred connected the Reykjanes Peninsula since 2021.

The past clip the peninsula had a play of volcanic enactment was 800 years agone - and the eruptions continued for decades.

Iceland has 33 progressive volcano systems and sits implicit what is known arsenic the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the bound betwixt 2 of the largest tectonic plates connected the planet.