(29 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reykjanesbær – 29 May 2024
1. Wide of smoke billowing as cars approach area along the main road to Grindavik.
2. Various of the erupting fissure roughly 20 minutes after the eruption started
3. Various of smoke rising
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bergvin Snær Andrésson, member of the search and rescue team:
“It’s a pretty big eruption, as you can see and the lava flow is so, so much. It’s already reported in the news that it has cut off the road to Grindavik here on the west and the south. So it’s going west of the Grindavik area and they evacuated also the first responders, the police, the rescue team and the fire department which are all working really closely together in this situation."
5. Tilt up of smoke rising from eruption
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bergvin Snær Andrésson, member of the search and rescue team:
"The Blue Lagoon was evacuated first and there were a lot of guests there. I can say a number but that would be a lie, probably over a hundred. And also there were some people that live in Grindavik and also working there that were also evacuated. It’s different from day to day basis. But we knew about it early so we could evacuate (them) before the eruption happened.”
7. Various of eruption, lava flows
8. Wide of lava crossing road north of Grindavik
9. Various of eruption, lava flows
10. Wide of smoke and ash produced by eruption
11. Various of lava flows, eruption
STORYLINE:
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red lava that once again threatened the coastal town of Grindavik and led to the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
The eruption began in the early afternoon following a series of earthquakes north of the town of 3,800 people that was largely evacuated in December when the volcano came to life after centuries of dormancy and put on an impressive show of nature’s power.
Although activity began to calm down by early evening, initial estimates found the eruption was the most vigorous in the area so far, as lava shot 50 meters (165 feet) into the sky from a fissure that grew to 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) in length, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
Barriers built to protect Grindavik deflected the flowing lava that cut off two of the three roads leading to town and was close to reaching the third.
Workers and anyone still in town were ordered to leave earlier in the day, police said.
At one point, a dark plume of ash boiled up over the crater from an explosive interaction of magma hitting groundwater, scientists said.
The cloud did not rise high enough to initially pose any threat to aviation, but scientists were closely monitoring the situation, Jóhanna Malen Skúladóttir, of the Met Office, told national broadcaster RUV.
Grindavik, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has been threatened since a swarm of earthquakes in November forced an evacuation in advance of the initial December 18 eruption.
A subsequent eruption overwhelmed some defensive walls and consumed several buildings.
The area is part of the Svartsengi volcanic system that was dormant for nearly 800 years before reawakening.
The volcano erupted again in February and March.
The February 8 eruption engulfed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water to thousands of people.
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular eruptions and is experienced at dealing with them.
AP video shot by: Marco Di Marco.
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