threatened by volcanic eruption, Grindavik, the ghost town

Grindavik (Iceland) is now a ghost town since his 4,000 residents were evacuated this weekend. The police take France 2 journalists to the red zone, closest to the fault. “We can see the fault here, it goes beyond the pedestrian crossing and it is getting bigger. But be careful, it can still subside”confides a police officer. “A few days ago, there was only a small crack in the asphalt, but this crevasse which now cuts the city in two is growing, it is opening day by day as the magma rises”notes France Télévisions journalist Ambroise Bouleis, special correspondent in Grindavik.

A 15 km long crack

The magma would only be 500 meters below the surface. It is his progress that moves the field. The escaping steam is coming from broken hot water pipes. The underground fissure extends over 15 km. LSpecialists consider that the major risk of eruption is outside the city, far from homes. Howeverthe police do not want to take any risks.