A volcanic eruption It started this morning in the southwest of Icelandon the Reykjanes Peninsula, the 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 small earthquake northeast of Sýlingarfell at 5:30 a.m. 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.
Preliminary information indicates that there is no threat immediate for the nearby town of Grindavík, with about four thousand inhabitants, reported public television RÚV.
The interruption of the hot water supply in Suðurnes, due to lava damaging a pipe, has however led the authorities to declare the emergency situation in the area.
“The hot water pipe is broken, causing a lack of hot water in Suðurnes. It is now important for residents and businesses there to 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 saving measures recommended by the authorities.
The lack of hot water has also reached the nearby Keflavík international airport, a spokesperson confirmed to RÚV, although its operations have not been affected.
The Blue Lagoon, the famous geothermal spa located in the area and which was already affected in previous rasheshas been temporarily closed.
The seismic activity registered on the Reykjanes Peninsula already led the authorities to declare the emergency situation at the end of November and announce a impending eruptionwhich caused Grindavík to be evicted.
The burst It finally occurred on December 19, but subsided four days later, and the authorities allowed the return at the end of that month of residents whose homes had not been damaged by the earthquakes.
The last eruption in the area, which caused a new evacuation, began on January 14 and lasted for two days.
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Iceland is a volcanic island located in the North Atlantic that has a population of about 370 thousand inhabitants and an area of more than 100 thousand square kilometers.