COPENHAGEN, 23rd August, 2024 (WAM) -- A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday, spraying red-hot lava and smoke in its sixth outbreak since December, Reuters reported.
The total length of the fissure was about 3.9 km (2.42 miles) and had extended by 1.5 km in about 40 minutes, the Icelandic Met Office, which is tasked with monitoring volcanoes, said in a statement.
"The impact is limited to a localised area near the eruption site. It does not present a threat to life, and the area nearby was evacuated," Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs said on social media platform X.
The lava was not flowing towards the nearby Grindavik fishing town, whose nearly 4,000 residents have been mostly evacuated since November, the Met office said.
Flights were unaffected, Reykjavik's Keflavik Airport said on its web page.