Iceland evacuates Blue Lagoon amid volcano eruption

Iceland evacuated the town of Grindavik and the nearby Blue Lagoon on Tuesday as a volcano started spewing lava — the eighth eruption to hit the region since the end of 2023.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said "an eruption has started on the Sundhnuksgigar Crater Row" north of the fishing village Grindavik.

"The fissure is now about 500 meters (yards) long and has reached through the protective barrier north of Grindavík,'' it said in a statement. "The fissure continues to grow, and it cannot be ruled out that it may continue to open further south.''

Icelandic authorities began the evacuations on Tuesday morning after magma flows and a series of small earthquakes in the region indicated that the volcano would soon erupt.

A land of ice and fire

People living in some 40 homes in the town of Grindavik, which is near the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, were told to leave after the magma flows were detected. 

The community, located some 53 km (33 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik, was largely evacuated a year ago when the volcano, dormant for 800 years, came to life again.

The nearby Blue Lagoon luxury spa was also being evacuated, local media said.

The magma flow was accompanied by an intense storm of earthquakes similar to those that have preceded previous eruptions, the Met Office said.

So far, the 10 eruptions that have occurred south of Reykjavik on the peninsula since 2021 have not directly affected the capital or disrupted air traffic by spewing ash into the stratosphere.

Iceland is known as the land of ice and fire for its many glaciers and volcanoes.

Edited by: Zac Crellin