Coast Guard Helicopter Captures Grindavik Volcanic Eruption

A volcanic eruption has started at Grindavik in Iceland, local officials said, after hundreds of smaller earthquakes rocked the area in the early hours of Sunday, January 14.

Icelandic Civil Defense photos taken from a Coast Guard helicopter early on Sunday show the extent of the eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula.

Local media reported that lava flows were just 450 meters (around 1400 feet) from the northernmost houses in Grindavik on Sunday morning.

The town had been evacuated on Saturday night, according to reports.

The Icelandic Met Office said more than 200 earthquakes hit Grindavik at around 3 am on Sunday, signalling the imminent eruption.

The Icelandic Police said just before 9 am that the eruption had begun. Credit: Icelandic Civil Defense via Storyful

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