- Written by Kathryn Armstrong and Ian Casey, London.
- BBC news
WATCH: Dramatic aerial photos show rapid spread of lava after Iceland eruption
A state of emergency has been declared in Iceland after lava from a volcanic eruption damaged major hot water pipes.
Thousands of people on the Reykjanes peninsula have been told to limit their hot water and electricity use as pipe repairs could take several days.
There are concerns that if the lava flow does not subside soon, other important pipelines close to the Svartsengi power plant could be affected.
This is the third such eruption on the peninsula since December.
Aerial video of the area shows a new 3-kilometer-long (1.8-mile) fissure in the ground, sending lava flows into the air.
Smoke from the lava could also be seen in the capital Reykjavik, about 40 kilometers away.
The Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions, has been forced to close again due to lava flows. We expect to remain closed on Friday.
Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management Agency said it was exploring ways to guarantee hot water for more than 20,000 people, for whom access has reportedly been cut off.
Icelandic state television (RUV) reported that schools in areas affected by the hot water shortage will also remain closed.
RUV also said that Keflavik Airport was affected, but services were operating normally.
Volcanologist Dr. Evgenia Ilyinskaya told the BBC that while the Svartsengi power plant itself is somewhat protected by the barrier built around it, there are pipes that will supply hot water to a further 30,000 people across the peninsula, and there are more immediate risks. He said he was at risk.
However, as with previous eruptions, the lava flow is expected to slow down quickly and the pipeline will not be damaged, she said.
According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the eruption is weakening.
Smoke from the eruption could be seen from the capital Reykjavik.
All recent eruptions in southern Iceland have been caused by lava flowing from fissures, rather than volcanic explosions that release volcanic ash into the atmosphere, as the country witnessed in 2011.
Dr Ilyinskaya, an associate professor of volcanology at the University of Leeds, said Thursday's eruption was unlikely to cause further damage to the abandoned town of Grindavik, as it occurred in roughly the same area as the December eruption.
Last month, lava erupted from two other cracks, destroying three homes in the town.
Some of Grindavik's approximately 4,000 residents told the BBC they would never return to live in their homes.
Iceland has 33 active volcanoes and sits atop what is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between two of the largest tectonic plates on Earth.
The last time there was volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula was 800 years ago, and eruptions continued for decades.
This is the sixth eruption since 2021, and scientists believe the region is entering a new volcanic era.
Professor Tamsin Mather, a volcanologist at the University of Oxford, said the volcanic activity was “progressing as expected at the moment”.
“What we expect is a series of these relatively small, relatively short-lived eruptions that will push lava flows out of the fissure and further uplift the peninsula.”
The question is how long these activities will continue. Scientists think it could last for years or even centuries.
