Residents of an Icelandic fishing village are facing an uncertain future almost a week after their homes were evacuated when experts predicted a nearby volcano could erupt at any time.
Since then they’ve been allowed back into Grindavik, once home to 4,000 people, for one brief visit escorted by the police to salvage their most valued possessions.
Such evacuations do not happen often, according to David McGarvie, a volcanologist at the University of Lancaster.
"The last evacuation of an entire sizable settlement in Iceland occurred 50 years ago during the 1973 eruption on the island of Heimaey off the south coast of Iceland," he said.
Three eruptions took place near Fagradalsfjall, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023 -- all far from any infrastructure or populated areas.
