Icelandic earthquake refugees return to retrieve belongings

• Icelandic earthquake refugees return to retrieve belongings.
• Experts anticipate minimal impact on flights this time.
• The town of Grindavik has seen thousands evacuated.

Residents of a town in Iceland, struck by a series of over 500 earthquakes on the south-western Reykjanes Peninsula, were briefly permitted to return to their homes to collect belongings.

The town of Grindavik, where most tremors occurred, has seen thousands evacuated amid the looming threat of a volcanic eruption, despite recent weakening in quake intensity.

Pedrag, a long-time resident originally from Serbia, fled with his wife when a state of emergency was declared on Friday. Grindavik was evacuated early Saturday, and Pedrag, among those allowed a brief return on Monday, shared that locals, including lifelong Icelanders, expressed never having experienced such intense quakes.

Reports indicated impacts on the town center, with roads sinking up to a meter in some places while he observed no damage in his area.

Gisli Gunnarsson, another evacuee and a 29-year-old music composer born and raised in Grindavik, conveyed a grim outlook, fearing he might never see his home again. The situation was deemed unprecedented by locals, as Icelandic eruptions typically occur in unpopulated regions.

Officials announced that Grindavik’s evacuation would persist overnight, closely monitoring the situation due to potential risks of a smaller but still hazardous eruption, primarily in the form of lava flows.

The Reykjanes Peninsula saw an eruption in 2021 despite a dormant history of 800 years. Volcanologists, including Thor Thordason from the University of Iceland, indicated an imminent eruption as magma lies less than 800 meters below the surface, with Grindavik in a vulnerable position.

Keflavik International Airport, just 15km north of the town, remains operational, although the potential eruption site lies within Grindavik’s limits.

Experts, recalling the disruptive ash cloud from Iceland’s 2010 volcano eruption, anticipate minimal impact on flights this time. The risk, they believe, is lower for a repeat of the widespread flight cancellations seen over a decade ago.

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