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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Maryam Zakir-Hussain,Barney Davis and Maira Butt

Iceland volcano – latest: Top tourist site extends closure as Met Office warns earthquake threat ‘not over’

REUTERS

Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption

Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland’s top tourist spots, extended its closure till 9 December amid safety concerns over fears of a volcano eruption.

It comes as the country’s Met Office has said that while seismic activity is decreasing, the “unrest phase is not over”.

“The process which began on 25 October with a significant seismic swarm and peaked on 10 November with the formation of a 15 km long magmatic dike is not over.

“With certainty it can be stated that a phase has started where a similar sequence of events might repeat in time.”

Authorities earlier warned that the “most likely” place for an eruption is east of Sýlingarfell, next to the famous tourist attraction.

A fortnight ago, the fishing town of Grindavik was evacuated after magma-induced seismic activity tore vast chasms through the streets.

Meanwhile, a volcanic eruption in Indonesia has killed at least 11 hikers. The 2,891-metre-tall Marapi volcano in West Sumatra province erupted on Sunday, spewing ash as high as 3km into the sky that rained volcanic debris onto nearby villages.

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