A volcano has erupted in Iceland after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country’s Meteorological Office said.
An evacuation had already taken place in recent days, moving nearly 4,000 people out of the fishing town of Grindavik in the country’s southwest.
The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa had also been closed as a precaution.
Iceland’s Meteorological Office confirmed the eruption on Monday.
Damage from earthquakes in Grindavik in recent weeks
The peninsula in recent years saw several eruptions in unpopulated areas, but the current outbreak was believed to pose an immediate risk to the town, authorities have said.
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot-spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik.
In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a 500-750-metre-long (1,640-2,460-foot-long) fissure in the ground in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
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