Sudden evacuation in Grindavík

A sudden evacuation was called in Grindavík at about 15 pm, twentyfour minutes ago.

“The decision has been made to evacuate in a quiet manner,” Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, communications manager of the Civil Protection Agency, told mbl.is.

“There was gas measured in the town, so it was decided to evacuate quietly. This is not an emergency evacuation, but the reason was this pulse and this is just one part of the tools we have at our disposal to detect if something is happening,” she said.

The gas detected is sulphur gas, but new meters have been installed near the town to monitor it. Higher values could indicate that an eruption is imminent.

Over a hundred people inside the town

“There was a call from the Civil Protection to evacuate Grindavík. There is an evacuation going on in the area but I don’t think the reason is serious and there is not a great risk,” Úlfar Lúðvíksson, police chief in Suðurnes, told mbl.is.

“We still maintain the evacuation, although it has been cancelled. Police operations in Grindavík have been completed as of today,” he added.

All those inside the town have been evacuated, but there were more than a hundred people getting things from their homes when the evacuation began.

A journalist and a photographer from mbl.is who are on the scene say that sirens and flashing lights are running on all the vehicles of the response team.

Previous plans were that the town would be evacuated at 16 pm.