Icelandic Authorities Evacuate Town Due to Volcanic Eruption Threat

Icelandic authorities have declared a state of emergency and evacuated a town due to the potential threat of a volcanic eruption.

The emergency regime has been established in the Reykjanes Peninsula, located in the southwestern part of the country. The police are urging residents to leave the coastal town of Grindavik, which has a population of about 4,000, reports The Guardian.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, over 24,000 underground tremors have been recorded in the peninsula since the end of October. Additionally, on November 11 (after midnight), nearly 800 small earthquakes were registered.

“The earthquakes could intensify, and such a sequence of events could lead to an eruption,” the Icelandic Civil Protection Agency reports. Geologists indicate that there is currently a magma accumulation at a depth of approximately 3.1 miles (5 km).