Both eruptions lasted only a matter of days. A third eruption began February 8, which petered out within hours, but not before a river of lava engulfed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water to thousands of people.
RUV quoted geophysicist Magnus Tumi Guomundsson as saying that the latest eruption is the most powerful so far. The Met Office said some of the lava was flowing towards the defensive barriers around Grindavik.
A view of lava crossing the main road to Grindavík and flowing on the road leading to the Blue Lagoon during an eruption last month.Credit: AP
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular eruptions and is highly experienced at dealing with them. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.
No confirmed deaths have been reported from any of the recent eruptions, but a workman was declared missing in January after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano.
Source Agencies
