GRINDAVIK, Iceland – Nearly 1,000 earthquakes rattled southwestern Iceland Monday amid fears that a volcano could erupt within days, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency and evacuate thousands of people from the seaside town of Grindavík.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the risk of an eruption has not changed since Sunday and there’s still a “significant likelihood” that it will happen. However, seismic activity has been stable since the weekend.
Thousands of earthquakes have been reported since the fears of a volcanic eruption began last week. Most of those have been reported along a 9-mile magma tunnel, or dike, just below the Earth’s surface.
In an update on Monday, the IMO said the current earthquake activity in the region has been found along the southern portions of the corridor between Sundhnúk and Grindavík at a depth of about 1.25 miles to 3.1 miles.
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On Sunday, the decision was made to allow residents in an eastern district of Grindavík to quickly return home under police escort to gather essential belongings and pets and then leave the area. That operation had gone “brilliantly” according to national public service broadcaster RÚV.
More residents were allowed to return on Monday, setting off a mad dash for residents to get to the check in point. Cars clogged the main street leading to the meeting point, which led to calls of patience for those who were waiting for their turn to be led into town.
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According to RUV, Grindavik Mayor Fannar Jonasson has asked people to not go to the meeting point unless they have been invited to do so to help alleviate the traffic jam.
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If a resident does try to enter the town when it’s not their time, they will be refused entry.
“If someone is going to give it a try, try to get in even though they don’t have permission to do so according to the street system, it won’t work,” Jonasson said. “They are dismissed.”
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RÚV reports that there is hope that all residents will eventually be able to go back into the evacuated town to gather their belongings and then retreat back to safety.
Officials are asking evacuated residents not to return to their homes if they don’t have to. If they do need to return, only one person per household will be allowed to go back to gather what they need to.
If a vehicle was left behind during the evacuation, the evacuated resident will be allowed to drive it back out of the area but only if they are accompanied by emergency personnel, according to RUV.