In Grindavik, Iceland, cracks have begun to open up throughout the city center, and authorities immediately started evacuating the area in anticipation of an “imminent volcanic eruption.” It’s been over a week since the seismic activity began, and now, the town of Grindavik has turned into a modern ghost town.
The Meteorological Office said magmatic gas has been detected in a borehole at Svartsengi, signaling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in the coming days, with the town of Grindavík being the most vulnerable. Residents of the evacuated town of Grindavík have been allowed to quickly return to their homes to collect their belongings, but, should a possible return be allowed, the uncertainty will be brutal.
With little warning, the people of Grindavik had to leave their homes and belongings filled with uncertainty if they would ever return. The approximately 3,300 inhabitants of this Icelandic town began to get evacuated as soon as cracks on the ground started to appear, and although it’s clear it’s for their safety, according to the authorities, this hasn’t been an easy task.
Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, a member of Icelanc’s civil protection department, explained that they had “to quickly explain to them what was happening then we had to tell them to move, where to go. We just wanted to help them. It is still dangerous here. I have never seen anything like it before. It was such a difficult day, especially for the people who live here. We always think of them and hope they can come home soon. But we don’t know when.”
Grindavik, once a gorgeous and busy tourist destination, has now become a ghost town, where only the memory of its recent residents live now. Hopefully, they will be able to return to their beloved homes. Here are some images of how Grindavik looks today.
