Iceland - Grindavík residents can celebrate Christmas at home
A few days after the spectacular volcanic eruption in Iceland, the residents of the evacuated village of Grindavík can now return to their homes overnight. They can also celebrate Christmas there, as the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV reported on Friday evening, citing the police.
The risk is justifiable, said local police chief Úlfar Lúðvíksson. However, he doubted that many people would spend the holidays there.
The Icelandic Civil Defense had previously announced that the public safety level would be lowered from emergency to danger level. RÚV's live streams also showed no more glowing red lava in the snow-covered area at the time. However, the Icelandic Meteorological Office still considered it premature to declare the eruption over.
The volcanic eruption began late Monday evening on the Reykjanes peninsula southwest of the capital Reykjavik. It was the fourth on the peninsula in three years. The lava gushed out of a kilometer-long fissure in the earth. The intensity of the eruption continued to decrease over the course of the week. Since Thursday, the inhabitants of Grindavík, a few kilometers south of the lava field, have been allowed back into their homes, at least during the day.
Live ticker from RUV Official announcement Livestreams RUV report Icelandic weather service on the situation Police on Facebook Video interview with the police
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- Despite the volcanic eruption causing an evacuation of Grindavík, the local police chief indicated that residents can return home overnight for Christmas, as reported by RÚV.
- The residents of the village, located southwest of Reykjavik, have been allowed to return to their homes during the day since Thursday, thanks to the decreasing intensity of the volcanic eruption.
- The Icelandic police chief expressed caution, suggesting that only a few people may choose to spend their holidays in Grindavík due to the recent volcanic activity.
- The volcanic eruption, which began on Monday night, has been ongoing for several days, with lava gushing from a kilometer-long fissure in the earth on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Source: www.stern.de
