Live broadcast | The lava eruption in Iceland broke the water pipes, the flowing lava cut off the highway

in Iceland The lava eruption that started on Thursday morning hit hot water pipes on the Reykjanes peninsula and took away hot water from more than 20,000 people, reports news agency Reuters.

The discharge hitting the pipes affects the heating of homes in the area. As a result of the situation, a state of emergency was declared on the peninsula on Thursday.

According to the rescue authorities, it can take about a day to restore the heating, he says Icelandic public radio Rúv.

In the volcanic area near the capital Reykjavík, a new eruption began early Thursday morning, the media and the Icelandic Meteorological Institute reported. The eruption fissure that opened on the Reykjanes peninsula originated from Sýlingarfell mountain.

On Thursday evening, authorities said the eruption had slowed down considerably, Rúv said.

The inhabitants of the peninsula were asked on Thursday to save on the use of hot water and electricity. The outage also took away warm water from Keflavík International Airport, which is located on the Reykjanes peninsula. However, the airport was able to operate normally.

As of Thursday afternoon local time, lava spreading from the eruption had cut off the Grindavíkurvegur road. Along the road is the popular geothermal spa Blue Lagoon. The spa managed to open after previous eruptions at the end of January, but it was closed again on Thursday due to another eruption.

Norwegian According to the Meteorological Institute, strong seismic activity was observed in the area of ​​the eruption shortly after five in the morning local time. The eruption started around six in the morning local time.

This is the third volcanic eruption in the area since December. of Iceland Department of Meteorology According to

A photo provided by the Icelandic authorities shows the eruption on Thursday. Picture: Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergencies / AFP

In the eruption area north of Grindavík, nearly 200 earthquakes were measured last weekend.

Icelandic public broadcaster According to Rúv the nearby area of ​​Grindavík was ordered to be evacuated in the morning. For example, there were tourists in the area who were ordered to leave the hotels.

On the Reykjanes peninsula, there are fissure volcanoes, i.e. eruption fissures, where the eruption takes place through a fissure opening into the ground. These eruptions are typically not accompanied by large explosions or a large amount of ash spreading into the atmosphere.

The peninsula has seen a total of six eruptions since 2021, Reuters says.

Iceland has more than 30 active volcanoes, which has made the island a popular destination for volcano tourism, Reuters reports.

Reykjavík International Airport was open despite the eruption and the eruption has not affected its operations, airport operator Isavia said on its website on Thursday.

Correction 8.2. 10:59 am: The eruption is taking place in the area of ​​several volcanoes near Grindavík, not on Fagradalsfjall, as previously reported. The map has also been detailed.