Iceland orders evacuations over volcanic activity

REYKJAVIK - More than 700 people have been evacuated from their homes because of renewed volcanic activity in southern Iceland, public broadcaster RUV reported Wednesday.

The measure was taken after a series of tremors were registered at the volcano near the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, about 120 km east of the capital, Reykjavik.

Roads skirting the southern section of the glacier were closed but there were no initial reports that air traffic was impacted.

The evacuation decision was taken by the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management after consultation with geophysicists from the Icelandic Meteorological Office, RUV said.

The volcano erupted last month, triggering a similar decision to evacuate about 700 people, mostly occupants of remote farms.

There are fears that melting ice could cause floods in the neighbouring region.

Iceland was originally formed by volcanic activity, with numerous volcanic systems continuing to be active in the island’s substrata.