Frantic efforts are being made to save a village in Iceland that is under threat of being overwhelmed by volcanic lava flows.
The fishing village of Grindavik is under threat as a new eruption by a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula has sent lava heading to the town and at least three homes have already been set on fire by it and the main road into and out of the town has been cut off.
The eruption started early on Sunday morning, sending semi-molten rock towards the village in south-western Iceland that is home to 3,800 people. This came after a series of earthquakes in the area, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported.
This is the second time in recent months that the village has come under threat from volcanic activity. On November 10, the village was evacuated after earthquakes in the area caused cracks in the Earth to open between Grindavik and Sylingarfell, a mountain situated north of the village. There followed volcanic eruptions in the area, which meant residents could not return to their homes until December 22.
Grindavik is situated near to Iceland’s main international airport, as well as the Blue Lagoon – one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country.
Since those initial eruptions, there have been efforts to build barriers made of earth and rock to try and stop any lava from reaching the village, which are said to have been largely successful. However, this new fissure has opened inside the barrier.
To date, no lives have been lost in the volcanic activity, although a workman is missing having been said to have fallen into one of the cracks that have been opened by the volcano.
To try and save more buildings, water pumps may be used to cool the lava and work to extend defensive barriers is ongoing.
