Iceland volcano eruption sparks travel concerns

Iceland volcano eruption sparks travel concerns

The Fagradalsfjall volcano in southwest Iceland, which sits about 16 kilometres away from Keflavik Airport, erupted last week, sparking worry among the travel industry.

Smartraveller released an update warning travellers to avoid the area near the eruption site. The site also cautioned visitors about avoiding areas close to mountains with steep slopes on the Reykjanes peninsula due to the danger of falling rocks.

A representative from Keflavik Airport released a statement confirming that “there have been no disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and international flight corridors remain open.”

The Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, said that the eruption does not pose any risk to populated areas or critical infrastructure and that the situation will continue to be monitored.

The Iceland Meteorological Office reported that lava began to flow on 3 August.

The following day, the Thorbbjorn Rescue Team said that locals had built a new walkway to the volcano for visitors.

“Just now the members of the village finished setting up and building a new walkway to the eruption. The route is under 7 km and tomorrow we are going to try to publish the route for GPS devices 😊,” the team wrote on Facebook.

“The path is simple, starting with the walk A and at Stórhól you can find new large sticks with gray reflections that can be followed all the way to this amazing view 😍 Remind everyone who plans to visit the erosion stations as usual where they park their car.”

Thorbbjorn Rescue Team at the eruption

Forbes reported that reaching the eruption requires a 90 minute hike and nearly 2000 visitors made the trek the first day.


Featured Image: YouTube/mbl.is

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