Residents of a town in Iceland, which has experienced a series of hundreds of earthquakes, were temporarily allowed to return to their homes to gather their belongings.
The south-western Reykjanes Peninsula was struck by over 500 earthquakes on Monday, prompting the evacuation of thousands from the town of Grindavik, where the majority of tremors occurred.
Despite a recent decrease in quake intensity, scientists still anticipate a volcanic eruption. Pedrag, a long-time resident originally from Serbia, and his wife were among those who evacuated when a state of emergency was declared on Friday.
Grindavik received an evacuation order early Saturday morning, and Pedrag, along with others, were granted access on Monday to retrieve personal items. Although he didn’t observe damage in his area, reports indicated the town center had been affected, with some roads sinking up to a meter in places.
Gisli Gunnarsson, a 29-year-old music composer forced to leave Grindavik, expressed concern about never seeing his home again, describing the situation as “grim.” Locals noted their distress as eruptions in Iceland typically occur in unpopulated areas, making this evacuation one of the largest incidents in Iceland’s history, according to Aslaug Yngvadottir Tulinius from the Icelandic Red Cross.
Officials announced that Grindavik would remain evacuated overnight, closely monitoring the situation minute by minute. Although recent updates suggest a potentially smaller eruption than initially thought, the town remains at risk due to potential lava flows from the active 15km-long magma river beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Volcanologists, including Thor Thordason from the University of Iceland, warned that an eruption seems imminent, with the most likely site within Grindavik’s boundaries. The town, located just 15km south of Keflavik International Airport, hasn’t disrupted air travel as flights are operating normally.
Despite concerns, experts believe a repeat of the 2010 ash cloud-induced flight cancellations is unlikely, emphasizing the unique circumstances of that event.
