A hiker had to be rescued by helicopter last night after getting lost near an erupting volcano in Iceland.
The plane was called to the outbreak site on the Reykjanes peninsula to search for the hiker, who managed to signal the passing helicopter using SOS signals, the Icelandic coast guard said.
Ásgeir Erlendsson, a coast guard spokesman, said it was initially reported that two people were lost in the early evening when the person became separated from their equipment.
“The helicopter found him and brought him back to the city,” Erlendsson said. “He got very cold and left his equipment and flashlight elsewhere. That’s why they thought it was two men.”
People have been urged to stay away from the volcano, which erupted on Monday evening. After the eruption, earthquake seekers flocked to the site to get people as close as possible to the growing lava field.
But experts have warned that the ongoing eruption could trigger new fissures that could tear apart the nearby town of Grindavik, as the area remains on high alert and it is uncertain what the coming days will bring.
The Icelandic Assembly Office announced yesterday that there was an increased risk of unannounced outbreaks and even ordered rescue workers to evacuate the city, which is about 40 kilometers from Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland.
A hiker had to be rescued by helicopter last night after becoming lost near an erupting volcano in Iceland
The plane was called to the outbreak site on the Reykjanes peninsula to search for the hiker, who used SOS signals to stop the passing helicopter, the Icelandic coast guard said. Pictured: A helicopter flies near a volcano spewing lava and smoke as it erupts near Grindavik on December 19
People have been urged to stay away from the volcano (pictured), which erupted on Monday evening. After the eruption, vibration detectors flocked to the site, with people getting as close as possible
On December 19, bubbling lava flows from chasms near the town of Grindavik, Iceland
On December 19, molten lava emerges from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, 3 km north of the evacuated town of Grindavik in western Iceland.
A close-up of the southern active part of the original fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula
The eruption signals an increased risk of volcanic fissures opening without warning in the fishing village, home to about 4,000 people, which was evacuated weeks ago after it was rocked by earthquakes.
Local residents shared videos showing their homes being torn apart and sealed off and some people were told they could not return after the force of the tremors tore houses off their foundations.
Iceland’s tourism industry, fueled by attractions such as the Blue Lagoon, a stone’s throw from the eruption, also took a big hit: some flights were delayed and nervous holidaymakers canceled bookings and postponed trips until the coming months.
“The future is still uncertain,” Jóhannes Þór Skúlason, the head of the Icelandic Tourism Authority, told MBL.is. “We will have to see how this outbreak develops. If the upheaval continues for some time, the impact on the tourism sector could be significant by next year.”
Meanwhile, people around the world marveled at the beautiful new images emerging from the country. Drone footage shows steaming lava flows pouring over snow-capped mountains, revealing the vastness of the four-kilometre chasm.
Tens of thousands of tremors have been recorded around Grindavik since a “seismic swarm” first rocked the region in late October. The Fagradalsfjall volcano threatened to erupt for weeks before an explosion occurred in Sundhnúkagíga on Monday, unleashing a much larger stream than ever before. the last few years.
Because a large magma tunnel extends beneath Grindavik, fissures can still open without warning, geophysicist Benedikt Ófeigsson told Icelandic news channel DV.
“A magma tunnel has also been created.” [underground] from which the eruption originated, and it extends considerably further south and north than the fissures themselves, and we can certainly expect them to erupt without warning, as actually happened in Fagradalsfjall,” warned Ófeigsson.
Experts will meet on Wednesday morning to assess the current situation after it was announced last night that the outbreak had weakened.
The volcano spewed so much lava that it could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every 20 seconds, an expert said on Tuesday.
David Pyle, a professor of geosciences at the University of Oxford, told Live Science that earthquakes around the eruption area have now subsided, suggesting that the rift has stabilized.
“The eruption rate is probably in the region of several hundred cubic meters of lava per second — enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in about 20 seconds,” Pyle told Live Science.
“The length of the gap may be an indication of how much magma could have accumulated in the crust in recent weeks.”
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement last night: “The lava flow is estimated to be around a quarter of what it was at the start of the eruption on December 18, and a third of the original fissure is active.”
Police said the eruption was not life-threatening and no injuries have been reported so far, although the area has been visited in droves by adventure seekers.
As locals and tourists witness the incredible night scenes first hand, authorities have warned that the darkness makes the place even more dangerous.
A drone captures the lava flow from the volcano erupting on the Reykjanes peninsula
The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, north of the evacuated town of Grindavik, began at around 10.17pm last night after a swarm of earthquakes, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said, citing a series of smaller tremors.
At the site, which is not far from the village of Grindavik, lava rises to the surface
In this handout from the Icelandic Coast Guard during a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula on Monday, smoke and flowing lava can be seen turning the sky orange
According to authorities, the biggest danger to people living near the volcano is volcanic fumes, which can cause breathing problems or suffocation.
Fortunately, fears that the toxic gas from the eruption could reach the Reykjanes peninsula overnight did not come true.
However, pollution has increased in parts of the peninsula, raising concerns among experts.
People are being asked to stay away from the area as smoke and ash continue to rise from the eruption.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimates that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second flowed from the volcano in the first two hours after the eruption began on Monday, although it has since slowed significantly.
The lava has a temperature of about 1200 degrees Celsius (2200 degrees Fahrenheit).
The volcano last erupted in March 2021, but had been inactive for 6,000 years before that.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
