Icelandic authorities declare a state of emergency due to the eruption of a volcano near Grindavik

MADRID, 19 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Icelandic authorities declared a state of emergency this Monday night due to the eruption of a volcano near the city of Grindavik (Reykjanes Peninsula), on the southwest coast of the island.

The eruption, which began at 10:17 p.m. local time, was preceded by a series of earthquakes in the Sundhnjúka crater, so the entire area was evacuated, as reported by the Icelandic newspaper 'Fréttabladid'.

The estimated length of the fissure is about 3.5 kilometers, considerably greater than that of previous eruptions, and the speed of the lava flow is between 100 and 200 cubic meters per second, which is also a notable increase compared to other eruptions that have occurred on the peninsula in recent years.

"An eruption has begun near the evacuated town of Grindavik. Our priorities remain protecting lives and infrastructure. Civil Defense has closed the affected area. We now wait to see what the forces of nature have in store for us. We are prepared and remain vigilant," The president of the country, Gudni Johannesson, has published on his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.

For his part, the Icelandic Foreign Minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, has assured that no flights have been interrupted either to or from Iceland, and that international air traffic remains open.

According to data from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, seismic activity is moving south, so the eruption could extend in the direction of Grindavik.