Volcano Erupts in South of Iceland at Midnight
It was a shock to the people living in the area as a volcano erupted in the south of Iceland at midnight.
People had to evacuate the area in hundreds as a local state of emergency was declared by the authorities. The incident also caused diversion of international flights coming into Iceland. It was around midnight when smoke started billowing and lava erupting from many craters on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the island's fifth largest.
The area around the eruption site is not densely populated and no reports of any injuries were received. The police chief informed Reuters that there was no immediate danger to the people from the volcano.
In villages close by threee red cross centers were set up to help in the evacuation process.
Local media quoted Geophysicist Steinunn Jakobsdotter as saying, "There was little increased seismic activity prior to the eruption but we did note a few tremors around 2 on the Richter scale -- not enough to tell us that an eruption was about to start."
The Eyjafjallajokull glacier has been dormant since 1821 till now.
