A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, posing an immediate threat to a nearby small fishing town although it had been evacuated earlier and no people were in danger, authorities said. Live video showed fountains of molten rock and smoke spewing from fissures in the ground across a wide area very close to the town of Grindavik. "No lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat," Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson said on social media site X, adding there had been no interruptions to flights. A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, January 14, 2024. Iceland Civil Protection/Handout via REUTERS The eruption began early on Sunday north of the town, which just hours before had been evacuated for the second time s...
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# 75 climbers, all local, were in the area at the time # Many of the 49 rescued on Monday were treated for burns # Search ops resume after being halted after 2nd eruption # Marapi is one of the most active volcanoes on Sumatra island Eleven climbers were found dead in Indonesia on Monday and 12 were missing after the Marapi volcano erupted in West Sumatra, a rescue official said, as search operations - which were halted temporarily over safety concerns - resumed. Three survivors were found on Monday along with the bodies of the 11 climbers, out of 75 who were in the area at the time of Sunday's eruption, said Jodi Haryawan, spokesperson for the search and rescue team, adding they were all local climbers. "We have continued to search for the 12 missing climbers unti...
Read MoreArea on alert for volcanic eruption on Reykjanes Peninsula The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — closed temporarily as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated region on alert for a possible volcanic eruption. Guests rushed to leave the spa’s hotels in the early hours of Thursday, after they were rattled awake shortly before 1 a.m. by a magnitude 4.8 quake, the strongest to hit the region since the recent wave of seismic activity began on Oct. 25. Bjarni Stefansson, a local taxi driver, described a scene of confusion when he arrived at the Retreat Hotel, where lava rocks had fallen on the roadway and the parking lot was jammed with 20 to 30 cabs. FILE PHOTO: Bathers enjoy the warm waters of Blue Lagoon on Iceland. ...
Read MoreFlights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Monday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel woe to the crisis-plagued Italian airport. The 3,330 metre (10,925 ft) high volcano burst into action overnight, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The lava flow subsided before dawn, but ash was still coming from one of the craters. Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, August 13, 2023. Etna Walk/Marco Restivo/ Handout via REUTERS Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, will remain suspended until 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Tuesday morning, the airport operator said in a statement, dashing hopes they cou...
Read MoreA volcanic eruption in Iceland close to the capital Reykjavik is slowing and gas pollution is easing, experts said, but residents should still keep clear of the volcano which has been spewing out toxic gas. The eruption has decreased considerably, the Icelandic Met Office, Vedur, said on Tuesday, adding people should keep out of the restricted eruption site. Smoke billows and lava spurts after the eruption of a volcano, on the Reykjanes peninsula, near the capital Reykjavik, in southwest Iceland, July 10, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. Juergen Merz - Glacier Photo Artist/via REUTERS The Litli Hrutur volcano, which lies some 60 km (37 miles) from the country's capital, has attracted interest with some people trying to get closer to the site, a 9-kilometre (5.6 m...
Read MoreFlights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Sunday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna spewed volcanic ash onto its runways, airport authorities said. The 3,330 metre (10,925 ft) high volcano can burst into spectacular action several times a year, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The last major eruption was in 1992. FILE PHOTO: Lava flows downhill as Mount Etna erupts, as seen from Pizzi Deneri on the north side of volcano, on the island of Sicily, in Catania, Italy, May 31, 2022. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello Flights to and from Catania, a popular tourist destination, would be suspended until normal safety conditions could be guaranteed, the airport said on Twitter. Cars in the city were covered in a layer of dark gritty dust, ...
Read MoreOne of Russia's most active volcanoes erupted on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday, shooting a vast cloud of ash far into the sky that smothered villages in drifts of grey volcanic dust and triggered an aviation warning. The Shiveluch volcano erupted just after midnight and reached a crescendo about six hours later, spewing out an ash cloud over an area of 108,000 square kilometres (41,700 square miles), extended over 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) northwest and engulfed several villages in grey volcanic dust, according to the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey. A view shows cars covered in volcanic dust following the eruption of Shiveluch volcano in the settlement of Klyuchi on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia April 11, 2023. O...
Read MoreHawaii’s Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, less than one month after the volcano and its larger neighbor Mauna Loa stopped releasing lava. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images indicating Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau crater at the volcano’s summit caldera, the agency said. This webcam image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, from the west rim of the summit caldera, looking east, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. ( U.S. Geological Survey via AP) Kilauea’s summit is inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential communities. Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey raised the alert level for Kilauea due to signs that magma was moving...
Read MoreA volcano erupted in Indonesia on Sunday spewing a cloud of ash 15 km into the sky and forcing the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people, authorities said, as they issued their highest warning for the area in the east of Java island. Indonesia’s highest volcano on its most densely populated island released searing gas clouds and rivers of lava Sunday in its latest eruption. Monsoon rains eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop 3,676-meter (12,060-foot) Mount Semeru, causing the eruption, according to National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. Volcanic ash is seen from Candipuro district following the eruption of Mount Semeru volcano, in Lumajang, East Java province, Indonesia, December 4, 2022, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Samsul Arifin via...
Read MoreMany people on the Big Island of Hawaii are bracing for major upheaval if lava from Mauna Loa volcano slides across a key highway and blocks the quickest route connecting two sides of the island. The molten rock could make the road impassable and force drivers to find alternate coastal routes in the north and south. That could add hours to commute times, doctor’s visits and freight truck deliveries. “I am very nervous about it being cut off,” said Frank Manley, a licensed practical nurse whose commute is already an hour and 45 minutes each way from his home in Hilo to a Kaiser Permanente clinic in Kailua-Kona. Lava fountains and flows illuminate the area with a glow at the Mauna Loa volcano eruption in Hawaii, U.S. December 2, 2022. REUTERS/Go Nakamura If the highway closes, h...
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