Aerial footage shows Sundhnúkagígar volcano beginning to erupt early on Tuesday.
A volcano has begun erupting in southwestern Iceland leading to the evacuation of a town and the closure of the Blue Lagoon Spa - one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions.
Sundhnúkagígar volcano began erupting on Tuesday near the Icelandic town of Grindavik. Just hours earlier around 40 homes had been evacuated according to local media.
Around 3km to the east of the volcano's centre is Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon Spa. The popular tourist attraction has been closed as a precaution.
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It is the eighth time the volcano has erupted since 2023 after previously remaining dormant for 800 years. The local community was also evacuated last year when the same volcano drew global attention with a similar eruption.
Sundhnúkagígar volcano spews magma in southwestern Iceland. Credit: AP
In a statement posted online, Iceland's Met Office said: "The fissure is now about 50 metres long and has reached through the protective barrier north of Grundavik.
"The fissure continues to grow, and it cannot be ruled out that it may continue to open further to the south."
They went on to explain the eruption, which started at 6.30am local time on Tuesday, was followed by an intense earthquake swarm similar to previous eruptions.
Iceland's most disruptive volcanic incident occurred in 2010 when Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, spewing clouds of ash into the air, grounding Atlantic air travel for weeks and disrupting it for far longer.
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