Families and tourists have been evacuated from towns - and a luxury hotel - as a notorious volcano has erupted again this morning.
Lava spewed out of the Sundhnúkur volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the fishing town of Grindavík, Iceland. The Icelandic Meteorological Office says the eruption - the volcano's ninth since December 2023 - happened in the early hours of this morning after the mass evacuation.
A campsite and the Blue Lagoon Iceland - a five-star hotel resort - were evacuated, as was most of the town of Grindavík. Local media reports police are driving around town, to check on local residents and encourage them to leave their homes in case of an eruption.
But when the same volcano erupted in April, some stubborn residents refused to leave their homes. Authorities begged with them to do so for their own safety, we reported at the time.
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For updates on the Sundhnúkur volcano,follow our live blog below...
Two more areas set to be evacuated as 'some not ready'
Several other areas will be evacuated by Icelandic officials this morning, people soon to be extracted from Grindavik and Svartsengis.
Pétur Már Benediktsson, deputy fire chief at the Grindavík Fire Department, said earlier evacuations - made at around 1am - were completed in around an hour and a half. However he said not everyone was ready to evacuate at the time.
He said: "There are always some who aren't quite ready, but we have those addresses listed and if there's an emergency evacuation, we just go again."
Eruption 'doesn't seem to be very large' as fissure grows to 2km
Geophysicists have said the incident "doesn't seem to be very large", despite the fissure having grown to more than 2km as of this morning.
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist and head of deformation measurements at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told RUV.is: "The overall event doesn't seem to be very large. There wasn't a lot of deformation and not a lot of magma that seems to have been released."
Massive gas cloud heads towards communities
While the volcano is not causing any significant damage, the fumes it is producing are heading towards nearby communities.
Local news outlets are reporting that gas pollution is currently floating towards Vogar and nearby Reykjanesbær, Sandgerði and Garð.
Photos from the scene show dramatic pillar of flame
Photos from the scene show the volcano dramatically smouldering this morning, with pillars of flame seen erupting from the ground.
While the footage is dramatic, authorities are not convinced the eruption is a dangerous one.
This was a small eruption - experts say
Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this is a fairly small eruption, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office website.
Based on the location of the eruption fissure and the size of the eruption, the lava flow is not going to create a danger in Grindavík - but lava could start flowing towards Grindavíkurvegur, another settlement north of Stóra-Skógfell.
Authorities are monitoring the situation carefully.
Iceland volcano erupts for 12th time since 2021
It is the 12th time this volcano has erupted since January 2021 - and ninth since December 2023.
Often referred to as a land of ice and fire, the North Atlantic island nation has many glaciers and volcanoes.
The outbreaks, known as fissure eruptions, are characterised by lava flows emerging from long cracks in the earth's crust, rather than from a central crater.
Thousands of thrillseekers visit Iceland every year to experience what has been dubbed volcano tourism.
Vogar and Reykjanesbær residents ordered to close windows
Gas pollution is spreading from the eruption sites to the northwest towards Vogar and Reykjanesbraut. Residents of Vogar and Reykjanesbær are asked to close windows and regularly monitor the air quality on the Icelandic Meteorological Office website. Pollution forecasts can also be viewed on the site.
Experts say the fissure is between 700 and 1000 metres wide and does not appear to be getting longer. Lava flow appears to be most concentrated to the southeast.
'This is not a major event at the moment'
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist and head of deformation measurements at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, has reassured communities - but said things could change quickly.
He said: "This is not a major event at the moment. It's a small volume and we're not seeing any signs that the tremors are getting shallower, as things stand now.
"There is always some seismic activity, but nothing extreme, it hasn't been particularly increasing."
What happened when the volcano erupted last year?
Barriers were put up in Grindavik and around the Blue Lagoon in a bid to protect surrounding communities from magma flows caused by eruptions last year.
Before a large eruption in May 2024, there were around 400 earthquakes recorded in seven days near the Sundhnúks crater series and the largest earthquake was 2.2 magnitude at Sundhnúk before this latest incident. Volcanic activity had been spreading along a magma corridor from Grindavík to Stóra Skógfell.
Infrastructural damage in Grindavík is unlikely, says Icelandic Meteorological Office
Ms Sigurðardóttir, the natural hazard expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says the location of the eruption is favorable as the eruption will not threaten any infrastructure and is far from Grindavík town.
There is only a possibility that lava flows from the eruption could damage the Grindavík road near Stora-Skógfell, but only if the eruption lasts a long time.
Brits frequently stay at the Blue Lagoon hotel
The Blue Lagoon - one of the places evacuated - regularly caters for Brits.
It is a luxury, five-star resort, which offers "transformative spa experiences". Its website reads: "The powers of science and the wonders of nature create transformative experiences" at the hotel in Grindavík.
In addition to the 60 rooms, there is Michelin-starred dining, and a private lagoon sourced from the same healing waters as the Blue Lagoon, at the hotel.
Sundhnúkur erupts again - for the ninth time in 19 months
An eruption has started. The location is southeast of Litla-Skógfell.
Magma can be seen - in the livestream in the previous post - spewing out of the crater.
Authorities are continuing to evacuate people in the area.
Icelandic Meteorological Office provides latest update
Speaking moments ago, Minney Sigurðardóttir, a natural hazard expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said: "There is no change at the moment, magma flow is still ongoing. The fire has not started at this time."
The intense earthquake swarm began just before midnight and is most active at the Sundhnúk crater series, in the magma corridor. Most of the earthquakes in this swarm are measured at a depth of about 4-6 kilometres, indicating that magma is not currently approaching the surface.
Watch dramatic livestream of Sundhnúkur volcano
A livestream of the Sundhnúkur volcano has emerged on YouTube.
It shows various craters - including the same crater shot at two different angles - and magma roar from each.
Hundreds of people are watching the footage - Iceland is one hour behind the UK so it is anticipated more and more people will tune in as they wake in the nation.
Civil Protection emergency level raised to highest concern
The National Police Commissioner has decided, in consultation with the Police Commissioner in Suðurnes, to raise the Civil Protection alert level to the highest level as the likelihood of an eruption at the Sundhnúk crater has increased.
This was stated in a statement from the Communications Director of Civil Protection.
The earthquake cluster is located between Stóra-Skógfell and Sýlingarfell. This is in a similar area to the beginning of magma flows in previous events, like April this year.
Tourists at Iceland Blue Lagoon are evacuated
Tourists at the Iceland Blue Lagoon hotel and a nearby campsite have been evacuated.
Jördís Guðmundsdóttir, communications director for civil protection, says that police are driving around town checking on people staying in houses.
She didn't have an exact number of people staying in the town. "There are quite a few people there," she said.