Thousands evacuated after eruption

Iceland's meteorological office has warned that pollution from a volcanic eruption in the southwest of the country on Monday has the potential to reach the capital Reykjavik.

After weeks of intense earthquake activity, the volcano, at Hagafell, on the Reykjanes peninsula, erupted late Monday, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate from their homes, including in the fishing town of Grindavik, which was threatened by lava fl ow.

The smell of smoke and ash reached as far as 30 kilometers from the eruption site, reported the BBC, which noted that the eruption itself was visible from Reykjavik, situated 42 km northeast of Grindavik.

Captivating images and livestreams of the erupting volcano have been shared on social media, showing molten rock forcefully spewing from fissures in the ground.

"Seismic activity together with measurements from GPS devices indicate that the magma is moving to the southwest and the eruption may continue in the direction of Grindavik," the office said.