The Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland could soon erupt. The accumulation of magma underground is undoubtedly the cause of the intense seismic activity that has caused widespread damage to roads and buildings.
From the cracks in the street to the houses. Icelanders can only imagine the damage caused by the hundreds of earthquakes on the volcanic island since Saturday, November 11th.
These countless tremors, caused by the movement of magma, indicate an impending eruption of Fagradalsfjall, a volcano in the southwest of the island and an hour’s drive from the capital Reykjavik.
Steam comes out of the ground
But the material damage is particularly visible in Grindavik, a city with 4,000 inhabitants located 40 km southwest of Reykjavik and which was evacuated early Saturday. Torn roads, cracked buildings… Icelandic public services are in high demand to repair the roads around the volcano.
Aerial photos from the Icelandic media company Visir show long cracks from which steam is emerging in places. Icelandic weekly newspaper DV also captured images showing smoke rising from the ground.
The city’s residents were able to return home for a few minutes on Monday to collect their belongings in the presence of numerous police vehicles and the Icelandic civil protection agency.
A crack “approximately 15 kilometers” long in Grindavik
Iceland, which has 33 active volcanic systems, declared a state of emergency early Saturday and ordered a mandatory evacuation of Grindavik. Emergency shelters and aid centers were opened in several neighboring towns.
The head of civil protection and emergency management in Iceland, Vidir Reynisson, said on Saturday that the fissure was “around 15 kilometers” long, along which an eruption could occur “anywhere”.
The Icelandic authorities had already allowed certain residents to come, accompanied and for five minutes, on Sunday to collect some belongings.
Hugues Garnier with AFP journalist BFMTV