A volcano erupted north of Grindavík, Iceland, just before 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, the Icelandic Met Office and state broadcaster RUV said.
A Coast Guard helicopter flew over the site, sending photos back that appeared to show lava flowing from “both sides of the defenses that have begun to be built north of Grindavík,” the Met said in an update posted in Icelandic.
“Judging by the pictures, lava is now flowing towards Grindavík,” the Met said.
The eruption followed an “intense” series of earthquakes that began around 3 a.m. near where a volcano erupted in December, the Met office said.
“At the time of publication, over 200 earthquakes have been measured in the area, and the seismicity has moved towards the town of Grindavík,” weather officials said in a notice posted before the eruption.
The earthquakes were in the Sundhnúksgígar crater, an area north of the town of Grindavík. The largest measured was an about 3.5 magnitude quake just after 4 a.m., the Met said.
Preliminary data showed Sunday’s eruption just south-southwest of Hagafell, the Met said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
