Volcanic Eruption Looms, Iceland Declared State Of Emergency

AFP/APP

Reykjavik: Iceland declared a state of emergency on Friday following a series of powerful earthquakes in the Reykjanes peninsula, raising fears of a potential volcanic eruption.

The National Police, acting on advice from the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, cited intense seismic activity near Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik, as the reason for the alert. Authorities warned that earthquakes could grow stronger, and the accumulation of magma about five kilometres underground could trigger an eruption.

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said that if magma moves to the surface, lava would likely flow southeast and west, away from Grindavik, a village of 4,000 residents prepared with evacuation plans.

By Friday evening, tremors had been felt in the capital Reykjavik, about 40 kilometres away, as well as along the southern coast. The largest quake recorded reached magnitude 5.2.

 Road closures were implemented after tremors damaged infrastructure, and nearly 24,000 quakes have been registered in the region since late October, including a dense swarm of 800 quakes between midnight and 1400 GMT Friday.