As magma stirs beneath the surface, a notorious Icelandic volcano threatens to awaken once more, sending ripples of fear through nearby towns and retreats.

05:39, Wed, Jul 16, 2025 Updated: 05:44, Wed, Jul 16, 2025

Volcanolive

Families and tourists were evacuated on Wednesday (Image: ruv.is)

Families and tourists have been dramatically evacuated from towns - and a luxury hotel - amid fears a notorious volcano has erupted again.

Magma flow has begun in the Sundhnúkur volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the fishing town of Grindavík, Iceland. The Icelandic Meteorological Office says this is a sign the volcano will erupt, following eight previous eruptions since December 2023. In April of this year the volcano also erupted dramatically.

A campsite and the Blue Lagoon Iceland - a five-star hotel resort - have been evacuated, as has most of the town of Grindavík. Local media reports police are driving around town, to check on local residents and encourage them to leave their homes in case of an eruption.

But when the same volcano erupted in April, some stubborn residents refused to leave their homes. Authorities begged with them to do so for their own safety, we reported at the time.

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Eruption has begun

A statement by the Icelandic Meteorological office has been released:

"An eruption has begun. The source is southeast of Litla-Skógfell. It is in a similar area to the crater that was most active during the eruption in August.

"At this point in time, seismic activity has been highest in the area from Litla-Skógfell in the north to Sundhnúk in the south. 

"Based on the seismic activity, the magma tunnel that has formed is 6.5 km long. For comparison, the magma tunnel that formed in the last event was about 20 km long.

"Over the past 15 minutes, seismic activity has increased slightly, and some of the tremors are moving closer to the surface. This could be evidence that magma is trying to break through to the surface."