Volcanic lava 'swallows' town in Iceland

The lava eruption began just before 8 a.m. on January 14 (3 p.m. Vietnam time). By noon local time, a second fissure appeared, more than 800 meters wide, and continued to expand. Next, a stream of bright red lava flowed out of this fissure and towards houses in the far north of the town of Grindavik, about 40 km from the capital Reykjavik.

A horrifying scene

The molten lava flow breached the earthen and rock barriers intended to prevent it from reaching the town of Grindavik. As a result, by early yesterday morning (Vietnam time), several buildings in the town were engulfed in flames.

Scenes of lava eruption on January 14th.

"According to initial images taken by Icelandic Coast Guard reconnaissance helicopters, a gap has widened on both sides of the barrier north of Grindavik," AFP quoted the Icelandic Meteorological Office as saying. Video clips from the Icelandic Coast Guard show huge lava fields and a wall of fire rising into the night.

The pressure from the lava forced authorities to conduct a second evacuation in less than a month. Residents fled quickly, abandoning their homes and livestock. Víðir Reynisson, Director of the National Police Office, confirmed to local media that "no one is allowed to enter Grindavik until we are certain that everything is safe."

Volcanic eruption in Iceland threatens to engulf a town.

As of January 14th (local time), Iceland's civil aviation operations remain unaffected, and Keflavik Airport is operating normally. However, lava flows continue into the town of Grindavik, and more homes and structures are expected to be threatened.

The risk is increasing.

Lovísa Mjöll Guðmundsdóttir, a disaster expert from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, warned that the possibility of more fissures appearing could not be ruled out. "Satellite data shows that more lava is flowing into the tunnel and there is a possibility that more fissures will erupt." Police Chief Reynisson also cited information from the Icelandic Meteorological Office to warn that lava could continue to erupt in the coming hours.

While many residents of Grindavik were evacuated by 3 a.m. on January 14 (local time), around 200 of the town's nearly 4,000 inhabitants decided to stay despite the warnings. Late on January 14 and early on January 15, the Icelandic National Police recorded 200 earthquakes, and Grindavik experienced a power outage from 5 a.m. (local time).

At a press conference, Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir called January 14th "a dark day for Grindavik and all Icelanders. But the sun will rise again." And in a message to the nation that same day, President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson urged people to keep hope.

Meanwhile, the Morgunblaðið newspaper, in its January 15th issue, published images of lava "swallowing" the town. Local residents were also shocked by the devastation. "In a small town like this, we're like one big family, we know each other like relatives, and it's truly tragic to witness this," AFP quoted Ari Gudjonsson, 55, who works in the fishing industry.

Watch lava flows engulf homes during a volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the highest number in Europe. The eruption on January 14th was the fifth in two years, with the most recent one occurring on December 18, 2023, in the same area. At that time, the eruption started from the Svartsengi volcanic system and reached Grindavik after all residents had been safely evacuated.

The most serious volcanic eruption in recent times was the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, which created ash clouds that blanketed the atmosphere and disrupted air travel across Europe.

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