“The volcanic eruption began in Fagradalsfjall. The color code of the flight is red, but very little turbulence is observed on seismometers,” IMO wrote on Twitter.
Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management has urged citizens to avoid the Reykjanesbraut highway in the southwest of the Reykjanes Peninsula. The motorway connects Reykjavík with Iceland’s Keflavík International Airport.
“An eruption has started in Fagradalsfjall. We ask people to stay calm and not to approach the site of the eruption or Reykjanesbraut in any case,” the authority wrote on Twitter on Friday night.
“First responders must be able to drive freely to assess the situation. Scientists are working to assess the eruption.”
The eruption comes after weeks of increased seismic activity on the peninsula, with about 400 earthquakes detected in the region on Thursday morning alone, according to the IMO.
“This is a somewhat less seismic activity compared to previous mornings when the figures were around 1,000 earthquakes,” the IMO added in a tweet on Thursday.