Tourist attractions evacuated as Iceland volcano starts erupting again

The Blue Lagoon thermal spa was evacuated before the eruption began

A volcano erupts in Grindavik, Iceland, Wednesday, May 29

A volcano in Iceland sent glowing hot lava shooting 50 metres into the air on Wednesday, its fifth eruption since December, shortly after an eight-week long eruption on the same Reykjanes peninsula came to an end.

The Met Office said lava was shooting about 50 metres into the sky from a fissure “around 2.5km long and growing”.

The Blue Lagoon thermal spa was evacuated before the eruption began, national broadcaster RUV said.

The spa has faced a series of closures over recent months as a wave of seismic activity continues to affect the country.

Authorities had warned of the risk of renewed volcanic activity in the area just south of the capital Reykjavik as studies showed magma accumulated underground.

Flights continued as usual at Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport, according to the airport’s website.

Smoke billows from a volcano in Grindavik

The fiery spectacle underlines the challenges faced by the island nation of almost 400,000 people as scientists have warned that repeated eruptions are possible in Reykjanes for decades or even centuries.

Wednesday’s was the eighth eruption since 2021 on the peninsula, home to some 30,000 people, after geological systems that had lain dormant for 800 years became active again.

Such volcanic activity has disrupted district heating, closed key roads and razed several homes in the fishing town of Grindavik, to which only a few residents have returned since an evacuation in late 2023.

Iceland’s civil defence was put on high alert, police said, and authorities again ordered an evacuation of Grindavik.

To prevent further damage, man-made barriers have been built to steer lava away from infrastructure including the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the Blue Lagoon spa and Grindavik.

Residents refer to Iceland as the “Land of Fire and Ice”, a tribute to its otherworldly landscape of mountain peaks, ice fields and fjords, a seismic hotbed positioned between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

Iceland, which is roughly the size Wales and southern England combined, boasts more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism – a niche segment that attracts thousands of thrill-seekers.