A new fissure has managed to remove money and protective barriers of an Icelandic town from the lava, in what one official describes as the worst-case scenario.
As previously reported, the volcanic eruption occurred on Sunday morning near Grindavik, the town evacuated in November before a massive eruption from the same peninsula, while two homes were damaged. Lava threatened the community again yesterday, but Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdottir said the barriers were "serving their purpose" and diverted most of the flow.
Civil defense chief Víoir Reynisson said that while the main lava flow exited the barriers, the new crack inside them was the "worst-case scenario". One option being considered is using pumps to cool the lava with seawater to hopefully limit damage to the city.
Ms Jakobsdottir said the government would continue to pay wages and housing costs for residents who were again forced to leave. Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson said on X that "no life is at risk, although infrastructure may be under threat." He said no flights had been disrupted.
The eruption followed a series of small earthquakes in the southwestern region, and Sunday's eruption was the fifth on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.