It is the fourth since December and is estimated to be the strongest of the previous ones – Grindavk is being evacuated again
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New powerful volcanic eruption shook Iceland.
Fiery lava is approaching the long-suffering town of Grindavik, which is being evacuated for the fourth time in a few months.
The Icelandic authorities declared the entire southern part of the country in a state of emergency.
It is estimated that the new volcanic eruption is stronger than the previous ones.
It occurred shortly after 8 pm local time and was preceded by a series of about 80 small earthquakes.
At the moment the explosion has not affected air transport.
The last eruption of the Reykjanes peninsula volcano took place in early February, when lava destroyed roads and pipelines, leaving 20,000 people without heating. In the January eruption, lava burned houses in a fishing town.
Between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic terrain due to the movement of the two plates in opposite directions.
Volcanic eruptions in the Reykjanes Peninsula are usually of limited dimensions and do not cause large dispersion of ash into the stratosphere.
But scientists worry they are likely to continue for decades, and Icelandic authorities have begun building levees to divert the flow of burning lava away from homes and infrastructure.
Iceland is home to more than 30 active volcanoes. In 2010, ash clouds from the eruptions of the Eyafjallajokull volcano covered large areas of Europe, canceling 100,000 flights and forcing hundreds of Icelanders from their homes.