Reykjavik: Iceland declares state of emergency after 800 earthquakes in 14 hours The strongest earthquakes occurred in the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. A state of emergency was declared in Iceland on Friday due to suspicions that this could be a precursor to a volcanic eruption. The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement that Civil Defense is declaring a state of emergency following the intense earthquake in Sundanjukagigar. ‘Earthquakes can be bigger than what happened. The administration also warned that this series of events could lead to an outbreak. The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said an eruption was expected ‘within a few days’.
The village of Grindavík, home to about 4,000 people, is located three kilometers (1.86 miles) southwest of the area where Friday’s earthquake struck. Evacuation plans are in place in case of an eruption. Around 1730 GMT, two strong earthquakes were felt 40 km from the capital, Reykjavík. Also, windows and appliances were shaken in most of the southern coast of the country. According to preliminary IMO estimates, the magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck north of Grindavik. Police closed the northbound road to Grindavik after the earthquake. About 24,000 earthquakes have been recorded on the peninsula since late October. It is estimated that there were about 800 earthquakes in the 14 hours between midnight on Friday.
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2023-11-11 09:30:41
