(Grindavík) Residents of Grindavik, Iceland, were able to return home for a few minutes on Monday to collect their belongings and see the damage caused by the intense seismic activity which could foreshadow a volcanic eruption.
Ripped roadway, cracked buildings: the movement of magma under the earth’s crust damaged roads and buildings in this town of 4,000 inhabitants, located 40 km southwest of Reykjavik and evacuated early Saturday.
This movement of magma has caused hundreds of earthquakes in recent days, which could be the precursor to a volcanic eruption.
After long hours of waiting in their cars, the residents of Grindavik were able to access their homes for a few minutes to take away their belongings, in the presence of numerous police vehicles and Icelandic civil protection.
Their car is piled up with furniture, decorations, but also pets and even sheep.
“Two people maximum per vehicle and we ask everyone to stay as little time as possible,” civil protection warned in a press release.
Iceland, which has 33 active volcanic systems, declared a state of emergency and ordered a mandatory evacuation of Grindavik early Saturday. Emergency shelters and aid centers have been opened in several neighboring towns.
The head of civil protection and emergency management in Iceland, Vidir Reynisson, told AFP on Saturday that the fissure measured “around 15 kilometers”, along which an eruption could occur “anywhere”. Or “.
The Icelandic authorities had already authorized certain residents on Sunday to come, under escort and for five minutes, to collect some belongings.
“We are a little desperate, a little paralyzed and sad, in fact. When you think about the time and energy we spent building our house, it’s sad,” Hans Wierer, a resident of this town located on the Reykjanes peninsula, said on Sunday after collecting some belongings.
Since 2021, three eruptions have taken place on the peninsula, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023, all far from infrastructure or populated areas.