Iceland volcano live: Hotels and Blue Lagoon evacuated as eruption sends clouds of gas towards Grindivik

A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke into the air in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021.

Authorities have evacuated families, hotel guests, and tourists from Grindavík, the nearby Blue Lagoon resort, and other surrounding areas as a precaution.

The eruption in the Sundhnúkur volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began early Wednesday, is the 12th since volcanic activity reawakened in the region in 2021.

According to Iceland’s meteorological office, magma forced through the crust opened a fissure between 700 and 1,000m long.

“(It does) not threaten any infrastructure at this time,” the office said, adding that GPS and deformation data suggest it was a relatively small eruption.

Grindavík, which once housed nearly 4,000 people, was evacuated last year and remains largely empty due to ongoing volcanic risk.

Despite the dramatic lava flows, no disruption to flights at Keflavík airport has been reported.

The eruption is the latest in a growing sequence of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began when dormant systems were reactivated in 2021 after centuries of silence.