Iceland Volcano Eruption
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Iceland’s first volcanic eruption in six years forced 600 people to flee their homes on Sunday and brought a halt to all flights into and out of the Nordic island nation.
No casualties were reported in the remotely populated area, about 125 kilometres (75 miles) east of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.
But the risk of floods posed by melting glacial ice prompted the authorities to declare a state of emergency and to immediately evacuate the area.
It was the first volcanic eruption in Iceland since 2004, and the first in the vicinity of Eyjafjallajoekull, in the south of the island, since 1823.
The Red Cross set up an emergency telephone line and opened three evacuation centres in the towns of Hella, Hvolsvoellur and Vik to help people displaced by the eruption.
“People have been extremely calm and the registration of inhabitants went splendidly,” Red Cross field manager Hrafnhildur Bjornsdottir told AFP.
Asked by Swedish public radio if she felt there was any danger, local resident Christina Bengtsson said the biggest problem was volcanic ash filling the air.
“The ashes can be dangerous for the animals,” she said. “When we went out before, we could feel (the ash) in our mouths. From my window, I see a red sky. If I went out the door, I could also see fire.”
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