Iceland volcano eruption dashes hopes residents can spend Christmas at home
CNN
An Icelandic volcano which violently erupted on Monday appears to be slowing down, raising hopes that a nearby fishing town will be spared from severe fallout.
Hopes that residents in an Icelandic fishing town could celebrate Christmas at home have been dashed after the violent eruption of a nearby volcano on Monday night. The volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula erupted at around 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET), spewing lava and huge plumes of smoke into the atmosphere from a vent around 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) long. The 4,000 residents of Grindavík, which lies around 3 kilometers south of the volcano and is the only town in the area, were evacuated in anticipation of an eruption last month, amid escalating seismic activity. The eruption appears to be slowing down, in a positive sign that properties in the coastal town will be spared from severe fallout. Residents, however, will be unable to spend Christmas in their homes, the town’s mayor Fannar Jónasson said in a statement Tuesday night. “Unfortunately, the hope that had ignited in the hearts of many about the possibility of celebrating Christmas at home in Grindavík was extinguished when the eruption began yesterday,” Jónasson said.
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