Iceland volcano eruption: Hundreds of thrill-seekers venture to site of bubbling lava

WeirdNews

Iceland's black night sky lit up a deep orange colour as molten rock flew into air

Updated On: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 13:54:52 PKT

(Web Desk) - Hundreds have been seen returning to an evacuated part of Iceland that was cleared just weeks before a volcano erupted on Monday, following weeks of intense earthquake activity.

The eruption at the Sundhjuka crater, on the Reykjanes peninsula, began lighting up the night sky at 10.17pm on Monday, after a series of earthquakes hit the area.

Video footage of the moment of the eruption showed Iceland's black night sky lit up a deep orange colour as molten rock flew into the air.

A massive fissure of lava, four kilometres long and growing, is carving through the Reykjanes peninsula, following the eruption. Local media reports that the fissure is currently just 2.5km north of the town of Grindavík.

The fissure is getting so large that scientific instruments put out in the rural region to measure and track its development are at risk of being destroyed.

The Norwegian Meteorological Agency estimated that 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava is spewing out per second, which is 'many times more than in previous eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years.'

Hundreds were seen returning to the region, despite several Icelandic authorities warning them to stay away for their own safety.

Iceland Police said in a statement: 'An eruption has begun. We ask people not to be in front of the responders and not to go in the direction of the eruption. It is important that roads and other things are as accessible as possible.'

Icelandic police also said they had raised their alert level as a result of the outbreak and the country's civil defence warned the public not to approach the area while emergency personnel assessed the situation.