Current:Home > ScamsLooming volcano eruption in Iceland leaves evacuated small town in limbo: "The lava is under our house"-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Looming volcano eruption in Iceland leaves evacuated small town in limbo: "The lava is under our house"
View Date:2024-12-23 19:41:20
Thousands of earthquakes have struck Iceland this week as researchers found evidence that magma is rising to the ground surface, prompting fears that a volcanic explosion could occur any time on the Reykjanes Peninsula. One small town made famous for the beloved Blue Lagoon has been evacuated, and now, residents say they're stuck in limbo as they await the fate of their homes.
"It's like sitting in a very boring movie, but you're stuck there, you can't get out of it," Einar Dagbjartsson told Reuters. "It's unreal. It's hard to digest."
The 62-year-old pilot is one of 3,800 people who were evacuated from the fishing town of Grindavik, located less than a half-hour drive from the Keflavík International Airport.
"There is no one living here," Stefan Velemir, an Iceland police officer, told Reuters. "From 3,800 to zero."
Meteorologists in the country have been warning for days that a volcanic eruption could happen at any moment. More than 700 earthquakes overnight on Tuesday and another 800 within roughly six hours early Wednesday morning, and according to the Icelandic Met Office, hundreds more have transpired since. Between Wednesday and Friday, the office has recorded more than 800 additional earthquakes, most of which were minor.
The office also detected sulfur dioxide earlier this week, an indicator that magma is getting closer to the surface and that a volcanic eruption will likely occur.
"The likelihood of an eruption remains high," meteorologists said in their latest update on Tuesday.
Velemir told Reuters that some homes have already been "completely damaged" as earthquakes have formed massive cracks in the city's streets and sidewalks. Steam has been seen rising from many of those gaps.
"We allowing people to go for five minutes into each home," Velemir said. "One person from each home goes five minutes and grabs all the necessities."
Dagbjartsson said he hasn't slept well for days and is constantly checking the news to see if the eruption began.
And he isn't the only one. Ingibjorn Gretarsdottir told Reuters she had to wait in a five-hour queue of residents hoping to get back into town to retrieve items from her home, which resides in a designated red zone – the area considered most dangerous and closest to where its expected an eruption could occur. While the house is fine for now, she said the ground nearby has collapsed roughly 3 feet.
"[The town] looks awful. It's very hard to go there and see everything," she told Reuters. "The lava is under our house ... We don't know if we're going to have a home or what ... we don't know anything."
Despite the earthquakes and what seems to be an imminent threat of an eruption, Dagbjartsson said he hopes he will be able to return home – but only if the harbor, a vital source for the fishing village, survives.
"Even though half of the town would go under, well, if the harbor will be OK, it's going to build up again," he said. "If the harbor goes, I think it's over."
- In:
- Volcano
- Eruption
- Earthquake
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (49756)
Related
- Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn’s SKIMS Holiday Pajamas Are Selling Out Fast—Here’s What’s Still Available
- Sweden leader says clear risk of retaliatory terror attacks as Iran issues threats over Quran desecration
- Inmate sues one of the nation’s largest private prison operators over his 2021 stabbing
- Cardi B retaliates, throws microphone at fan who doused her with drink onstage in Vegas
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- Jonathan Taylor refutes reports that he suffered back injury away from Indianapolis Colts
- A pilot is hurt after a banner plane crash near a popular tourist beach in South Carolina
- Trump could be indicted soon in Georgia. Here’s a look at that investigation
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- Super Bowl Champion Bruce Collie's 30-Year-Old Daughter Killed in Wisconsin Plane Crash
Ranking
- Up to 20 human skulls found in man's discarded bags, home in New Mexico
- Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help
- Police investigate killings of 2 people after gunfire erupts in Lewiston
- Police investigate killings of 2 people after gunfire erupts in Lewiston
- The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
- Here's Your First Look at Vanderpump Rules Star Tom Sandoval's New Reality TV Gig
- New Hampshire nurse, reportedly kidnapped in Haiti, had praised country for its resilience
- Erykah Badu flirts with crush John Boyega onstage during surprise meeting: Watch
Recommendation
-
Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
-
Trump could be indicted soon in Georgia. Here’s a look at that investigation
-
Deal Alert: Save Up to 86% On Designer Jewelry & Belts Right Now
-
Wisconsin man found dead at Disney resort after falling from balcony, police say
-
Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
-
Wisconsin man found dead at Disney resort after falling from balcony, police say
-
Fans pay tribute to Coco Lee, Hong Kong singer who had international success
-
Pilot avoids injury during landing that collapsed small plane’s landing gear at Laconia airport