Authorities in Iceland warned people to stay away from a volcano that erupted violently on Monday and forced the evacuation of thousands of people — but stunned hordes are still flocking to the dangerous site.
The Reykjanes volcano spewed fiery lava and plumes of thick black smoke Monday night into Tuesday morning — as shocked airplane passengers took off and landed on the island nation.
A flights to Suomi in Finland flew directly over the volcano in the southwestern part of the country, giving passengers a bird’s-eye view of its flowing river of orange magma against the dark sky Tuesday morning.
British tourists who were temporarily stranded on the runway at Reykjavik’s Keflavik international airport posted footage of themselves screaming, “Oh my God!” as they watched the magma and fire turn the sky red.
The Icelandic government has insisted the volcanic eruption at Sundhnuksgígar does not currently “present a threat to life.” Getty Images
Iceland’s government has insisted the volcanic eruption at Sundhnuksgígar is not currently “life-threatening” – despite authorities evacuating nearly 4,000 residents of a fishing town near Grindavik last month when the volcano began showing signs of an imminent eruption.
Authorities added that “international flight corridors remain open.”
But the government – which makes about $3.5 billion a year from tourism, according to Statista – is still urging people to keep their distance.
Locals saw billowing smoke as lava stained the night sky orange from the volcanic eruption. AFP via Getty Images A team of scientists work on a volcanic fissure ridge as lava spews out during a volcanic eruption, near the town of Grindavik on Tuesday. ANTON BRINK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The public is strongly cautioned not to approach the area for their own safety and not to interfere with traffic and the work of responders,” officials said in a statement, according to Yahoo News.
“We ask the public to allow us to assess the situation, this is not a tourist attraction,” said Hjálmar Hallgrímsson, a police field commander.
“This is many times stronger,” he said, reported the Telegraph.
But people who seek fun and excitement have flocked to the area.
After Monday night’s eruption, people were seen lining up in cars trying to get closer, according to The Mirror.
University of Iceland scientists took measurements and samples on the volcano’s ridge. AP Icelandic Coast Guard members see volcanic magma flowing over a hill near Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. Iceland Coast Guard/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
“It’s just something out of a movie!” said Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States.
Icelanders told local media that they regularly travel to see the eruption in Reykjanes.
“We are trying to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we are not getting any closer,” said one resident, according to The Mirror. “It’s a hobby we’ve had for four years, attending every eruption, and we’ll continue to do so.”
The volcano was spewing 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava every second initially, which the Norwegian Meteorological Agency said was “many times more than previous eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years.”
By early Tuesday afternoon, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that the size of the volcanic eruption “continues to decrease.” It said the lava flow was estimated to be a quarter of what it was at the time of the eruption.
A “shower” of eruptive lava reaching 30 yards high, has also fallen.
With Postal wire
Icelanders told local media that they regularly travel to see the eruption in Reykjanes. Getty Images Incredible footage emerging from Iceland shows lava spewing into the sky as a volcano erupts. via Reuters
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
