Icelandic work crews were seen racing away with just minutes to spare as a huge flaming lava flow continued, swallowing the road in its wake after a volcanic eruption.
The Syringfell volcano near Grindavik erupted at 6am this morning, sending lava into the air northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
This is the volcano’s third eruption in recent months, the last one in January destroying homes in the nearby town of Grindavik.
Extraordinary images capturing the aftermath of today’s explosion show a work crew driving – what appears to be an excavator – as a huge mass of burning lava follows suit.
In the shocking video you can also see a car located on the road, right in the path of the lava.
A work crew driving what appears to be an excavator leaves its exhaust extremely close, with burning orange lava near its tail.
Finally, a car that was in the path of the lava, as well as the work team, quickly flee followed by clouds of thick black smoke emerging from the lava.
These were the consequences of a volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland that erupted on Thursday.
Approaching harrowingly, both the car and the work crew eventually make a U-turn with a cloud of thick black smoke emerging from the lava near their tail.
Earlier today, tourists were evacuated from the famous Blue Lagoon spa before lava engulfed a nearby road following the eruption.
The spa, which is one of the country’s largest attractions and is located 4.3 kilometers from Grindavik, was closed when the eruption began.
According to Icelandic national broadcaster RUV, thermal spa guests were evacuated to hotels.
The Met Office said lava was flowing west and there was no immediate threat to the town of Grindavik, which was previously evacuated due to an eruption late last year.
The lava does not threaten any major power stations in the area, according to The Met Office.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said: ‘At 5:30 this morning intense seismic activity began northeast of Sylingarfell. About 30 minutes later an eruption began in the same area.
They claimed the fissure was about two miles long, according to an initial assessment of the overpass by the Coast Guard.
Civil defense officials said civilians were not believed to be in Grindavik at the time of this morning’s eruption.
After the eruption, one of Iceland’s biggest attractions, the Blue Lagoon thermal spa, was evacuated (pictured: a sign directing drivers to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon spa is seen in front of the lava)
Guests were evacuated to hotels after lava covered a nearby road (pictured, file photo)
“They weren’t meant to be, and we don’t know anything about any of them,” Víðir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Defense, told RUV.
This is the third eruption since December, when a volcanic system erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport, is located.
No disturbances were reported at the airport on Thursday.
Iceland is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor that divides the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
On average, the country has an eruption every four to five years, yet the Reykjanes Peninsula had not had an eruption for eight centuries.
New eruptions occurred in August 2022, July and December 2023, leading volcanologists to say it was likely the beginning of a new era of activity in the region.
With new eruptions set to occur in the area in August 2022, July and December, volcanologists believe this is likely to be a new era of activity in the region.
The eruption began around 6 a.m., sending lava into the air along a 3-kilometer-long fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
The Svartsengi volcanic system near Grindavik had not experienced an eruption for 800 years
As there have been three eruptions that have left residents unable to return to Grindavik for months (Pictured: houses in Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024)
Grindavik, with a population of 3,800, was first evacuated in November, when the Svartsengi volcanic system ignited for the first time in 800 years following a series of earthquakes.
The volcano finally erupted on December 18, sending lava away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on January 14 sent lava toward the city.
Although the defense walls were reinforced since the first eruption, the entire flow of lava could not be stopped, which caused the destruction of some buildings in the city.
When the second eruption occurred, cracks formed, and the second erupted on the outskirts of the city, spewing hot orange water into the streets and desecrating homes to the ground.
Due to recent volcanic eruptions, the future of Grindavik is shrouded in uncertainty and residents are not yet able to return home.