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Major volcanic eruption in Iceland: lava swallows everything in its path

On the night of November 20-21, a new volcanic eruption awakened the Reykjanes peninsula.

This was the seventh eruption in the region in the space of a year. The lava engulfed some roads, the parking lot at the Blue Lagoon tourist site and a building used to store visitors' luggage. The Sudurnes police chief commented: “This is a major natural disaster. The damage to the road network is considerable”.

The town of Grindavik once again had to be evacuated. Most of the town's 4,000 inhabitants had already been evacuated a year ago. Almost all the houses have been sold to the state, as the residents have all (or almost all) fled the area, reports RTBF.

Until March 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not been touched by eruptions for 8 centuries! Today, volcanologists emphasize that the region's own volcanic activity has entered a new era. 

(MH with AsD - Source: RTBF/France info - Illustration: Unsplash)

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