Hundreds evacuated after Icelandic volcano erupts, first since 1823March 21st, 2010
ICT by BNO News
Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland erupted on early Sunday, the Icelandic Civil Defense said.
The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which is located north of the small village of Skógar and is covered by a large icecap, began close to midnight local time. The Icelandic Civil Defense confirmed the volcano was erupting and national television channels showed live images of a bright light over the area, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Because the eruption could melt the ice on top of the volcano and cause flooding, evacuations have been ordered for the surrounding area. People in the area of Fljótshlið and the areas to the west of the Markarfljóts should evacuate to Hvolsvöllur and Hella. Farms to the west to Ásólfsskáli should evacuate to Heimaland. The farms of Ásólfsskáli, Skálakot and Moldnúpur should evacuate to Varmahlíð. Þorvaldseyri and all farms to the east of Hrútafell should evacuate to Drangshlið. People east of Skógará should evacuate to Vík. . . .
The eruption is the first since 1823 and follows weeks of increased seismic activity, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. It said most of the small earthquakes were located about 4 to 10 kilometers deep.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said it detected a slight increase of seismic acticity at three seismic stations next to Eyjafjallajökull at about 10.30 p.m. local time on Saturday. Around the same time, it received the first reports that an eruption could be underway . . . .
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