Scientist of the University of Iceland take measurements and samples standing on the ridge in front of the active part of the eruptive fissure of an active volcano in Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.Photo:AP Photo/Marco Di Marco
AP Photo/Marco Di Marco
Police said a helicopter was called in Tuesday to help rescue the hiker after they became “exhausted, cold and shocked” halfway to the eruption, according toThe GuardianandThe New York Times.
It was “extremely challenging” to reach the site, which authorities said can take an experienced hiker between four and five hours to complete.
Now, police hope people will “think four times” before attempting a similar expedition, especially with the holidays around the corner. “We want emergency responders such as rescue workers to be able to stay at home during the holidays,” they added.
A view of the only active vent remaining on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.AP Photo/Marco Di Marco
The volcaniceruption beganabout 2.5 miles northeast of Grindavík around 10:15 p.m. local time on Monday, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
The fissure is about 2.5 miles long, as well, stretching from just east of Stóra-Skógfell to just east of Sundhnúk.
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Though the eruption seems to be slowing, residents who evacuated the area will not be able to return home for Christmas, according toCNN.
“Unfortunately, the hope that had ignited in the hearts of many about the possibility of celebrating Christmas at home in Grindavík was extinguished when the eruption began yesterday,” mayor Fannar Jónasson said in a statement on Tuesday.
Some residents were able to briefly return to their homes Thursday to check things out and retrieve some items, according toReuters. Thorsteinn Einarsson, a 65-year-old plumber, said some homes “are not okay.”
But Einarsson does not plan to uproot the life he has built in Iceland. “My future is here,” he explained. “I will be here, and my kids will be here, and we are going to do everything we can to make this town good again.”
source: people.com
