- The crack in the Earth’s surface was almost three kilometers long
- Smoke seen 40 kilometers away in the capital Reykjavik
- Hot water pipes damaged because people are urged not to limit their use
A passenger flying home from Iceland has captured breathtaking images of the lava flowing from yesterday’s volcanic eruption.
From the window of the FlyPLAY plane, huge swaths of land can be seen buried under masses of molten rock.
Iceland is in a state of emergency after yesterday’s eruption damaged hot water pipes, prompting many areas to limit their hot water and electricity use.
Officials say it could take days for the pipes to be repaired.
During the eruption, enormous lava flows flowed from a nearly three kilometer long crack in the Earth’s surface.
A passenger on a plane flying over the lava captured images of the scale of the disaster.
They shared the ‘window view flying home from Iceland’ on social media.
A passenger on a plane flying over the lava captured images of the scale of the disaster
Smoke billowing into the sky could be seen 25 miles away in the capital Reykjavik.
Several residents of Grindavik’s population of about 4,000 told the BBC they do not expect to ever return to their homes.
Yesterday, Icelandic work crews were seen trying to clean up some of the damage caused by the powerful eruption.
Footage of crews working hard against the mass of moving molten rock shows an excavator trying to clear a path overlooking the giant lava flow.
The Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s famous geothermal spa and major tourist attraction, has been closed after the eruption. Tourists who were already there have been evacuated.
The spa, one of the country’s biggest attractions and located 4.4 kilometers from Grindavik, was closed when the eruption began.
After several recent eruptions, there is speculation about the possibility of the formation of an ash cloud like the one in 2010.
When the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted almost 14 years ago, the resulting ash released into the atmosphere caused a massive disruption to air traffic.
It led to a six-day shutdown of air traffic in Europe and caused 100,000 flights to be canceled.
Volcano experts are confident that current volcanic activity will not result in the formation of an ash cloud again.
However, because eruptions have become much more common recently, experts cannot say with certainty that the cloud will not form if another major eruption occurs.
Lava spread across the frozen terrain, destroying everything in its path
Smoke billowing high into the atmosphere could be seen up to 25 miles away
The 33 active volcanoes in the area around yesterday’s eruption are located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The last time the eruptions started, eight hundred years ago, they didn’t stop for ten years.
Now, after six eruptions in the past three years, many fear that time has come again.