Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, if we head to Iceland next, where a volcano has erupted following weeks of intense earthquake activity. So this is the moment of the eruption captured by a webcam from the Icelandic broadcaster, RUV. So you can see the red-hot lava starting to erupt from the ground, shooting up like a fountain. The Icelandic Coast Guard then flew over the area in a helicopter, capturing these images of the lava erupting and spewing across the landscape. The authorities have already evacuated nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik. The area is a volcanic and seismic hotspot southwest of the capital. (00:46) So if we have a look now at what's happening as we speak, these are live pictures. It is just past six o'clock local time in Iceland. Well, Hallgrimur Indridason is a journalist at the Icelandic public broadcaster, RUV. He described how this eruption unfolded.
Hallgrimur Indridason (01:06): This started just after 10 o'clock last night and an hour before then, some more intense earthquakes started. And they were shallow, but still, it caught scientists a bit by surprise, although the seismic activity that had happened previously, it had made a tunnel for the lava underneath the surface. So it was expected that it would be unexpected, but these scenes that you are seeing, this is the fourth eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula in almost three years. And this is by far the strongest one according to geologists. (02:02) The lava flow is more intense, it's more powerful, although it has diminished a bit in the last few hours since it started. But of course, the most important, and maybe the most dangerous thing is that this eruption is much closer to Grindavik than the previous eruptions.
Speaker 1 (02:27): Yeah, I'm just reading. It's about four kilometers away from Grindavik where this eruption has taken place. And actually, the activity is now moving towards the town.
Hallgrimur Indridason (02:40): Yeah, it's moving in both ways, both the south and the north. And the movement is maybe more powerful in the north, which is away from it. But geologists and all the scientists are taking a very close look at this because worst-case scenario, the flow in the south towards Grindavik will increase at some point.
Speaker 1 (03:15): Presumably-
Hallgrimur Indridason (03:15): Or will reach town. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:17): Presumably there's nothing that can be done about this in terms of trying to maneuver it elsewhere or prevent it. It's very powerful. You can't really stop this, can you?
Hallgrimur Indridason (03:28): Well, you could always try fortification excursions, excuse me, and that is something that has been done to prevent the critical infrastructure like the power plant that is just north of Grindavik. So the fortification started after the earthquakes took place, and they were just about finishing it when the eruption started. So that is a way, but the risk is that it'll only slow down the flow. So the big question is how intense will it be and how long will it last? And that is something nobody knows.
Speaker 1 (04:22): Yeah. So we are keeping a close eye on that as that unfolds. Hallgrimur Indridason there from RUV telling us the latest.