Watch: Iceland volcano erupts for fifth time in five months as state of emergency declared

Lucy Leeson

May 31, 2024 at 10:39 a.m.·1 min read

Watch again as an Iceland volcano erupted for the fifth time in five months and a state of emergency was declared.

The volcano in Iceland sent glowing hot lava shooting 50 metres into the air on Wednesday (29 May), its fifth eruption since December, shortly after an eight-week long eruption on the same Reykjanes peninsula came to an end.

The fiery spectacle underlines the challenges faced by the island nation of almost 400,000 people as scientists have warned that repeated eruptions are possible in Reykjanes for decades or even centuries.

Wednesday’s was the eighth eruption since 2021 on the peninsula, home to some 30,000 people, after geological systems that had lain dormant for 800 years became active again.

Iceland’s civil defence was put on high alert, police said, and authorities again ordered an evacuation of Grindavik.

To prevent further damage, man-made barriers have been built to steer lava away from infrastructure including the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the Blue Lagoon spa and Grindavik.

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