Hopes that evacuated residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik could return in time for Christmas have been dashed after a nearby volcano finally erupted.
Locals were said to be suffering from anxiety and stress after the volcanic eruption a few miles from their homes, a town whose nearly 4,000 inhabitants were ordered to leave last month due to the risk.
Defiant residents told The Independent they had planned to be back in the “family-friendly” port by Christmas, vowing to rebuild after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake created a fissure through the town on 10 November. The mayor of Grindavik has confirmed there were no locals in the port town at the time of the eruption but dashed any hopes they could return before Monday.
The volcanic eruption occurred at 10.17pm on Monday— (Icelandic Coast Guard)
One fishing boat was towed to safety from the port amid reports a hotel owner had refused to leave the town the night before the eruption.
Andrea Aevarsdottir told The Independent she had fled to the capital Reykjavik, like most of her neighbours.
“Nobody has been living in town since 10 November,” she said. “I was really on the fence about returning, but now I’m almost 100 per cent sure I won’t return.
“I’ve spoken to the people I work with and some of my friends in Grindavík. We’re all just like a popped balloon, we’re totally out of steam.”
“It’s really hard. I was just talking to the local priest and she said her whole body hurts from the stress and anxiety.”
Andrea Aevarsdottir’s whole life is in Grindavik but says she will be unable to return— (Provided)
It didn’t deter tourists heading towards the volcanic eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula to take selfies, wedding pictures and even film music videos.
“I’m very excited to be here in this place, in this time, just being able to see this natural phenomenon. It’s just something from a movie,” said Robert Donald Forrester III at the scene.
Greg Lukosek, 37, a software developer from Bedford, captured a stunning image of the shimmering Northern Lights merging with the bright orange fires of the volcanic eruption.
He said: “I’m travelling with my family, my wife and kids who are four and 11 – but I’m not too worried.I’ve seen previous eruptions although this one is much more intense and happening faster.
“Me and my family fell in love with Iceland in January. It’s our fifth trip here. We have seen a previous eruption at Litli-Hrutur and got very, very close as we hiked and spent the night right next to the lava fields.
“Honestly, sleeping next to an active volcano is an experience beyond something I can put into words. It was very spiritual even though I’m not a religious person. But this current eruption I’ve seen only from about five kilometres away through my drone.”
Gudjon and his wife Ayca Eriskin were among those who left— (Gudjon Sveinsson)
Rock musician Gudjon and his wife Ayca Eriskin, who recently had their first child, said they had decided not to go back to Grindavik despite setting up their family home there after the first 5.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the town.
He told The Independent: “It’s a strange feeling, it was shocking and a bit scary at first, but at the moment it is looking like the town will be okay, so there is also a sense of relief of this finally starting.”
On whether other Grindavik residents were looking to return to the town just two and a half miles away from the eruption, he replied: “Definitely not before Christmas, but yes, if there won’t be any major shifts or changes to the flow, it is looking like people could be back there sometime soon.”
Onlookers gather to watch the lava flow after the eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula— (EPA)
Mayor Fannar Jonasson said it was a relief no magma has so far erupted in town but it was clear that there will be no Christmas in Grindavik this year.
He said: “It would be very serious if lava flows started to flow towards Grindavik. There is actually a possibility of reacting and at least delaying that progress with powerful machines that are in the area.
“As things stand, we are not the most worried about this, but it is close enough to say that it will not be possible to celebrate Christmas in Grindavik.”
He says it is a relief that the eruption did not occur in a worse place.
“The location is perhaps the best on this crack.
“Considering how there was a magma tunnel directly under the town, you can say that this is a relief.”
