Iceland volcano: Pollution warning for capital after eruption

Late on Monday, a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland began to erupt, potentially leading to gas pollution in the nation's capital, according to the country's meteorological office. This eruption follows weeks of heightened seismic activity, including intense earthquakes and tremors. The fumes from the eruption are expected to reach Reykjavik, the capital city, by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

In anticipation of the lava flow, approximately 4,000 residents were evacuated from Grindavik, a fishing town, last month. A resident of the area near Grindavik recounted the 'crazy' and 'scary' scenes from the night of the eruption and mentioned that she could still see the volcano erupting on Tuesday. The region around Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity since late October, and the country has been on high alert for volcanic activity for several weeks.

The eruption is visible from Reykjavik, which is situated about 42km north-east of Grindavik. An eyewitness in the capital reported to the BBC that half of the sky in the direction of the town was 'lit up in red' due to the eruption, and smoke could be seen billowing into the air. Experts, however, do not anticipate the eruption to cause the same level of disruption as the 2010 eruption elsewhere in Iceland, which resulted in the suspension of European air travel. The Icelandic Met Office reported at 12:30 GMT on Tuesday that the power of the eruption was decreasing, but that gases from the volcano could still be felt in Reykjavik on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.