A volcanic eruption It started this morning in the southwest of Icelandin the Reykjanes Peninsulathe third in that area in the last two months, reported the Meteorological Office of this Nordic country (IMO, for its acronym in English).
The Icelandic authorities recorded a little earthquake northeast of Sýlingarfell at 5:30 hours GMT and, half an hour later, the eruption occurred.
The fissure, near the one that formed in mid-December, extends in both north and south directions, according to the IMO.
The crack is approximately 3 kilometers long and the lava flows mainly to the west.
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Preliminary information suggests that there is no immediate threat to the nearby town of Grindavík, about 4 thousand inhabitantssaid public television RÚV.
The interruption of hot water supply in Suðurneswhen the lava damaged a pipe, has nevertheless led the authorities to declare an emergency situation in the area.
“The hot water pipe is broken, causing a lack of hot water in Suðurnes. It is now important that residents and businesses there save as much electricity and water as possible“Civil Protection said in a statement.
The only hot water supply in the Reykjanes area now comes from the tanks, which could last up to 12 hours if the population follows the savings measures recommended by the authorities.
The lack of hot water has also reached the nearby Keflavík international airportas confirmed by a spokesperson to RÚV, although its operations have not been affected.
The blue Lagoonthe famous geothermal spa located in the area and which was already affected in previous eruptions, has been temporarily closed.
The seismic activity registered on the Reykjanes Peninsula has already led the authorities to declare the emergency situation at the end of November already announce an imminent rashwhich caused Grindavík to be evicted.
The explosion finally occurred on December 19, but subsided four days later, and authorities allowed residents whose homes had not been damaged by the earthquakes to return at the end of that month.
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The last eruption in the area, which caused a new evacuation, began on January 14 and lasted for two days.
Iceland is a volcanic island located in the North Atlantic that has a population of about 370 thousand inhabitants and an extension of more than 100 thousand square kilometers.