‘Iceland volcano – live: Eruption threat high as workers try to shield power plant’

Grindavik is a small fishing town of about 3,500 people in Iceland’s southwest Reykjanes peninsula.

The town, about 5 miles south of the Blue Lagoon, a geothermic bathing spa popular with locals and tourists, was evacuated over the weekend after large cracks began to appear in roads following thousands of earthquakes across the peninsula.

The tremors have sparked fears that the Gradalsfjal volcano – about 12 miles to the north of Grindavik – could erupt after researchers discovered a 9-mile long river of magma running through the peninsula.

Icelandic authorities were on Tuesday preparing to build defence walls around a geothermal power plant in the southwestern part of the country that they hope will protect it from lava flows amid concerns of an imminent volcanic eruption.

Iceland’s Justice Minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir told state broadcaster RUV that a large dike has been designed to protect the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over six kilometers from Grindavik, which powers around 35,000 homes across Iceland.

Equipment and materials that could fill 20,000 trucks were being moved to the plant, she said.

Construction of the protective dike around the power station was awaiting formal approval from the government. The plant produces hot and cold water and electricity for the Reykjanes peninsula.

A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said that the plant supplies power to the entire country although a disruption would not impact power supply to the capital Reykjavik.

Most pets and farm animals had been rescued from Grindavik by Monday night, according to rescue charity Dyrfinna.

Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants were briefly allowed back into the town on Monday to collect valuables, pets and livestock, the Icelandic department of civil protection and emergency management said in a statement, citing local police.

As of late Monday evening, the volcanic hazard assessment in and around Grindavik was unchanged from Sunday.

As I write, the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity. Grindavik, a town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants, was evacuated on Saturday as experts assess the threat of a volcanic eruption.

Iceland’s main international airport, Keflavik, is just 10 miles north of the town. Yet flights are operating normally, which some may find surprising.

easyJet has said the flight en route to Iceland’s second airport, Akureyri, diverted because of a technical issue.

A spokesperson told The Independent: “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8849 from London Gatwick to Akureyri on 14 November diverted to Edinburgh due to a technical issue. The captain performed a routine landing in accordance with standard operating procedures.

“Once at it stand engineers inspected the aircraft and it has now continued to Akureyri. We would like to apologise to all passengers for any inconvenience caused by the diversion and subsequent delay.

“The safety of its passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”

Fears an Icelandic volcano will erupt remain high as magma spreads underground and huge cracks appear in the roads of a town most at risk.

Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said. Around 900 earthquakes hit the south of the country on Monday, with tens of thousands of tremors reported in the region of Reykjanes in recent weeks.

Shocking images and footage have emerged showing roads split apart nearby, as their surfaces crack and buildings buckle under the pressure of the underground magma that has spread in recent weeks.

Experts said a nine-mile river of magma running beneath the peninsula was still active.

“All roads to Grindavik are closed and traffic on them is forbidden,” the Road Administration of Iceland wrote on Facebook, sharing footage of the damage.

An easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Iceland’s second airport, Akureyri, has turned back while over the Atlantic – and diverted to Edinburgh.

The Airbus A320 had taken off normally from the Sussex airport just before 7.30am. It was on course for the northern Icelandic airport and just passing the Faroe Islands, about 350 miles short of the Iceland shore, when it turned back and landed normally at Edinburgh.

The aircraft has now refuelled and taken off again for Akureyri. It is not known if the diversion was related the seismic activity in Iceland. The Independent has asked easyJet for a comment.

The new route to the northern city began only two weeks ago.

Q Given the volcanic situation in Iceland, is it going to be another 2010 in aviation?

A As I write, the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik, is seething with seismic activity. Grindavik, a town of nearly 4,000 inhabitants, was evacuated on Saturday as experts assess the threat of a volcanic eruption. Iceland’s main international airport, Keflavik, is just 10 miles north of the town. Yet flights are operating normally, which some may find surprising.

In April 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted and caused a complete shutdown of aviation for a week. Anyone who has a flight booked imminently may be fretting about a possible repeat. Thankfully, the circumstances are very different. Eyjafjallajokull erupted with a glacier on top. The addition of melting water meant that the lava cooled very quickly into tiny fragments. These were promptly propelled into the atmosphere to a height of 30,000ft by the steam produced in the eruption. A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash were ejected and carried southeast towards the UK and continental Europe by the breeze.

Inhabitants of Grindavik described being whisked from their homes in the early hours of Saturday as the ground shook, roads cracked and buildings suffered structural damage.

Hans Vera, a Belgian-born 56-year-old who has lived in Iceland since 1999, said there had been a constant shaking of his family’s house.

“You would never be steady, it was always shaking, so there was no way to get sleep,” said Vera, who is now staying at his sister-in-law’s home in a Reykjavik suburb.

“It’s not only the people in Grindavik who are shocked about this situation it’s the whole of Iceland.”

Almost all of the town’s 3,800 inhabitants had been able to find accommodation with family members or friends, and only between 50 and 70 people were staying at evacuation centres, a rescue official said.

Some evacuees were briefly allowed back into the town on Sunday to collect belongings such as documents, medicines or pets, but were not allowed to drive themselves.

“You have to park your car five kilometres from town and there’s 20 cars, huge cars from the rescue team, 20 policemen, all blinking lights, it’s just unreal, it’s like a war zone or something, it’s really strange,” Vera said.