Volcano Erupts In Southwest Iceland

Houses in Iceland's Hafnarfjordur are seen as smoke billows in the distance, the night sky turned orange by lava from an volcanic eruption (Credit: AFP)

A volcanic eruption began Monday night in Iceland, south of the capital Reykjavik, following an earthquake swarm, Iceland's Meteorological Office said.

For weeks, the Nordic country has been on high alert for a potential eruption at any moment after a period of intense seismic activity on the southwest peninsula, which last month prompted evacuation orders.