Iceland: 800 years of calm gives way to seven volcanic eruptions in 11 months

Tourists at a popular attraction in Iceland were left panicking when a volcano erupted with little notice. Located in the southwestern region of the country, the volcano had been silent for 800 years before it erupted again in December last year. Since then, it has exploded seven times.

The latest eruption sent molten lava towards the famous Blue Lagoon spa where several people were present. It occurred at 11:14 pm local time on Wednesday, creating nearly three-kilometre-long fissures. By Thursday, the lava had reached and spread across the parking lot of the geothermal spa. One of the service buildings also came into the grasp of the lava.

The meteorological office said that the lava had reached the pipeline that supplies hot water for heating. However, they have been built to sustain the effects of the lava.

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The last eruption happened in August and before that in May. Officials say the recent activity was less intense as compared to the previous eruptions, all of which subsided in a few days. It doesn't pose any threat to air travel, but officials have warned people about gas emissions.

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Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, a professor of geophysics, told national broadcaster RUV, "In the big picture, this is a bit smaller than the last eruption, and the eruption that occurred in May."

The town of Grindavík located near the volcano bore the brunt of the volcanic eruptions last year and had to be majorly evacuated. After Wednesday's eruption, residents from around 50 houses were rescued, along with guests at the Blue Lagoon.

Grindavík is located about 50 kilometres southwest of the capital Reykjavik. The eruptions near the town have damaged infrastructure and property. Before the volcano became active again, it had a population of 3,800 residents. However, most of them were forced to relocate after it started erupting again.