People can return to their city between 7am and 4pm. It is still too early to declare the end of the eruption.
Just days after the volcanic eruption on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, residents of the small town of Grindavík can return to their homes during the day. After police initially banned people from staying in the evacuated town of 4,000 residents, return was allowed again from Thursday between 7am and 4pm due to a change in risk assessment. However, it is not considered safe to be there at night, police said.
In the morning, the first cars returned to the city, as reported by the Icelandic radio station RÚV. According to police, children should not be brought along. A violent volcanic eruption occurred near Grindavík on Monday night – the fourth in three years. Initially, bright red lava bubbled from a kilometer-long fissure in the earth, but the eruption has since decreased in intensity. How long it lasts is still unclear. No eruption activity was initially visible on Thursday – but it was too early to declare the eruption over, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in the morning.
Danger potential still high
The meteorological agency said in an update on Wednesday evening that the likelihood of a new unannounced eruption near Grindavík had decreased. The authority thus published a new risk assessment map, initially valid until December 28th. The level of danger in the area around Grindavík is still considerable, authorities said. The intensity of the outbreak remains significant despite the decrease in activity. It has also been shown that magma can quickly reach the Earth's surface, leaving little time for warning.
Meanwhile, in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, some 40 kilometers away, ways were being sought to accommodate Grindavík residents for longer periods of time. Dozens of apartments were purchased for this purpose, as reported by RÚV. It is clear that there is considerable uncertainty about life in Grindavík, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said at a press conference. (APA/dpa)