Iceland opens access to volcanic eruption site as fumes subside, more visitors still expected
Hindustan TimesIceland began admitting people to the site of a volcanic eruption after most noxious gases dissipated. Iceland opens access to volcanic eruption site as fumes subside, more visitors still expected Some 24 hours after magma flows started in the uninhabited area on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the eruption had quieted enough to allow crowds near the site, according to the Civil Protection Services. People started flocking to the site when access was opened at 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday, with more visitors still expected, according to spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmundsdottir at the Civil Protection Services. “Close to the eruption, the main hazards are incandescent, flowing lava and volcanic gases,” officials said, warning people that “new eruption fissures may open near the existing vents” with “very little notice” and that “dangerous and potentially fatal” gas levels may accumulate in low areas. One of the most disruptive volcanic eruptions in Iceland’s recent history occurred in 2010, when Eyjafjallajokull in the southern part of the country erupted in an explosion that released a plume of ash so vast that it grounded air traffic across Europe for weeks, resulting in the cancellation of 100,000 flights and affecting over 10 million people.