Disregarded police warnings last night

A group of people walked up to the crater of the eruption at Litli-Hrútur last night. Police tried to intervene, but according to Jón Þór Víglundsson, information officer of Landsbjörg rescue team, police were forced to turn back due to dangerous gas measurements.

However, according to mbl.is, Víglundsson says that most of the people followed the instructions at the eruption site, although some did ignore them.

“The South police chief has naturally narrowed the area, defining the area right at the crater as a danger zone and closing it. It seemed to me that most people respected it. Not all of them have respected that, but the vast majority have.”

Police turned back

He says the group was already in a danger zone when police were notified. Police officers set out to intervene, but were eventually forced to turn back to protect themselves.

“The policemen were going to go and get them, but turned around when they heard the gas indicators they carried peeping, showing them a strong indication of poisonous gas, so they turned around.”

But he says the police sent a message to the people that they were in a dangerous no-go zone, but that the people that did not return continued regardless.

Not for nothing

Víglundsson says it shows the area’s level of danger that police would not venture into the area but rather turn back. “There is a reason for that.”

The site has opened

However, he repeats, people have mostly respected regulations and says that large numbers of people attended the event as soon as the area opened. In one period there were about 800 cars in the parking lot at the eruption site, which he believes was visited by about 2000 people.

Below are highlighted routes on a map from the Suðurnes Police Department.

Marked walking routes to the eruption sites at the Reykjanes peninsula. Photo/Police