The skies of southwestern Iceland turned fiery red over the weekend as a volcano erupted for a fourth time in just three months.
The eruption, which is the strongest of four blasts since December, occurred near the fishing village of Grindavik — about 30 miles southwest of the country's capital. According to the Iceland Meteorological Office, the eruption opened a fissure — or crack — in the Earth, measuring nearly two miles long.
Thousands of residents in the town had already been evacuated after the initial eruption last year. A small number of others who had returned home were evacuated again over the weekend.
Iceland's Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — a popular tourist attraction — was also evacuated.
AP
AP
Despite having only a few minutes of warning before the eruption sent flames and lava spewing into the sky, officials said there were no reports of injuries or property damage. However, a man was reported missing after apparently falling into one of the fissures opened by the volcano.
Iceland is a volcanic hotspot, being located on a divergent tectonic boundary where North American and Eurasian plates deep beneath the Earth's surface are moving apart. The island is home to numerous active volcanoes, with eruptions occurring relatively frequently in geological terms.
