EBN- Iceland volcano has erupted after weeks of intense earthquake activity, which led to the evacuation of 4,000 people.
The Iceland volcano eruption started north of the town at 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT) on Monday, the Icelandic Met Office said.
“Warning: eruption has started north of Grindavík by Hagafell,” the meteorological office said on its website on Monday. The eruption started a few kilometres from Grindavík, a fishing town located about 25 miles (40km) south-west of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík.
The evacuation process started last month after the area was hit by a “seismic swarm” of more than 1,000 small earthquakes in 24 hours.
A resident living near Grindavik described “crazy” and “scary” scenes that night. She also said she could still see the volcano exploding on Tuesday.
Iceland has faced volcanic activity for weeks. Since late October, the region around the capital Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity.
The government on Tuesday said the eruption did not present a threat to life. There were no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland, while international flight corridors remained open.
Although unlikely, as this type of eruption does not usually produce much ash, experts said there could yet be some effect on air travel.
The Fagradalsfjall volcano is located about 20 miles away from Keflavik airport, in the southwest of the island nation.
