A long-dormant volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Friday about 40 kilometers from the capital Reykjavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
Local media reported that incoming and outgoing air traffic was stopped at Keflavik International Airport, the largest in the country.
The eruption has been followed by thousands of smaller earthquakes in the area in recent weeks, and officials have prepared for an eruption.
“Code red”
The meteorological office reported the volcanic eruption of Mount Fagradals, saying that “the color code of the flight is red, but very little turbulence is seen on seismometers.”
The crack caused by the eruption was about 200 meters long (about 650 feet), the national weather service said on Twitter.
Authorities urged people to avoid the eruption site.
“We ask people to stay calm and not walk near the eruption site or Reykjanesbraut under any circumstances. First responders must be able to drive freely to assess the situation. Scientists are working to assess the eruption,” police said.
Icelandic Justice Minister Aslaug Arna Sigurbjornsdottir shared an image of the eruption showing a bright red night sky.
There were two flights to Keflavik International Airport.
A Coast Guard helicopter was sent to the scene to investigate the volcanic eruption, according to local media reports.
An expected eruption
The southern Grindavik Peninsula and its Krysuvik volcanic system, a largely uninhabited area that includes Mount Keilir, recorded at least 40,000 earthquakes as strong as the magnitude 5.7 of 24 February.
Experts expected the lava eruption not to resemble the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which generated a massive cloud of ash, disrupting about 900,000 flights across Europe.
It is known that the region experiences effusive eruptions, where lava flows from the ground, rather than explosives, in which ash clouds burst into the sky.
The Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for nearly 900 years, according to the Meteorological Office. The Reykjanes Peninsula last witnessed an eruption 781 years ago.
fb / msh (AFP, DPA, Reuters)