Video: Volcanic eruption destroys parking lot at Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon

Published November 22nd, 2024 - 11:58 GMT
Volcanic eruption in Iceland
This handout picture released by the Icelandic Coast Guard on March 16, 2024 shows billowing smoke and flowing lava pouring out of a new fissure, during a surveilance flight above a new volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland. A volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Thursday, the third to hit the area since December, authorities said. (Photo by HANDOUT / Icelandic Coast Guard / AFP)

ALBAWABA - Lava flowed across the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon resort, one of Iceland's most popular tourist destinations, on Thursday due to a volcanic eruption in the southwest of the country.

An area that could accommodate 350 automobiles, including a bus section, was covered in lava. Additionally, it demolished a service building that housed the possessions of guests. But because to a protective barrier, the resort's geothermal pools were unharmed.

The manager of the resort, Helga Arnadottir, told the Morgunblaðið newspaper that assessments by local authorities will determine if the property could reopen.

The Blue Lagoon resort and the surrounding community of Grindavík were evacuated on Wednesday night due to the eruption, which came from the Sundhnúkagígar fissure. This is the eighth volcanic eruption in the region since the beginning of 2024, according to AFP.

The majority of people living in Grindavík have had to migrate since the eruption, which was the first significant one last year. With Iceland seeing more volcanic eruptions than any other European nation, experts caution that the Reykjanes Peninsula's volcanic activity has reached a heightened phase.
 

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