Shock images show roads split apart near Grindavik in Iceland as the country braced for a volcanic eruption following a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground. The Icelandic Meteorological Office said that there was a “considerable” risk of an eruption on - or close to - the Reykjanes peninsula due to the size of the underground magma intrusion and the rate at which it was moving. Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks. Experts said a nine-mile river of magma running beneath the peninsula was still active, putting Grindavik at risk. In the past few days, the country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes and thousands of people have been told to evacuate Grindavik. The eruption was expected to begin on the seabed just southwest of the town. Read More Iceland roads cracked and evacuations ordered amid looming volcanic eruption Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption? Iceland earthquakes: What are your rights if you are on holiday or are planning to go? Could an Icelandic volcano ground flights like in 2010?

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Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Ukrainians to prepare for an increase in Russian attacks on the country’s infrastructure. The war-time president said his country could suffer attacks similar to the ones carried out by Vladimir Putin’s troops last year. About 10 months into Russia’s invasion, a string of attacks were carried out on power stations and other plants linked to the energy network, prompting rolling blackouts in widely separated regions. “We are almost halfway through November and we must be prepared for the possibility that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes against our infrastructure. Russia is preparing for winter,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Sunday. “And in Ukraine, all our attention should be focused on defence, on response to terrorists, on everything Ukraine can do to make it easier for our people to get through this winter and to increase the capabilities of our troops.” The warning comes shortly after Russian forces attacked Kyiv in the first-ever missile attack on the capital in nearly seven weeks. Strong explosions were heard, said Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko, adding that air defence systems were able to intercept the missiles, according to preliminary information. No casualties were reported. Russian strikes during last year’s winter offensive had left millions with no water and electricity in sub-zero temperatures. Moscow has already struck Ukrainian infrastructure 60 times in recent weeks, said Ukrainian officials. Energy minister German Galushchenko on Saturday, however, said Ukraine will have enough energy resources to get through winter. “The question is how much future attacks can affect supplies,” he said. Mr Zelensky also praised “heroic” efforts of troops defending Avdiivka, under pressure from attempted Russian advances since mid-October. The fighting has reduced much of the coking plant hub to a ghost town. While the attacks on Avdiivka slowed down in the past day, they are likely to intensify in the coming days, a military spokesperson said. “The enemy suffered significant losses the day before yesterday and has to regroup,” Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the southern group of forces, told national television. The number of infantry attacks were half of levels seen earlier in the week, he said. Moscow’s forces were “more active in the Bakhmut sector and trying to recover lost positions”, said General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of Ukraine’s ground forces. Russian accounts of the fighting on Sunday said its forces had repelled five Ukrainian attacks near Bakhmut. Read More Russia-Ukraine war: Mystery as Putin’s state media removes update on forces - live Ukraine destroys Russian landing boats in ‘significant loss’ for Putin Ukraine’s global ‘peace summit’ deferred to next year amid war in Gaza Analysis: Ukraine’s current frontline stalemate with Russia is hurting Kyiv Ramaswamy walks back moment he calls Zelensky ‘Nazi’ at GOP debate Ukraine moves step closer to EU membership as European Commission backs talks

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A man who evacuated from a town in Iceland after earthquakes put the region on alert for a volcanic eruption said he fears he might never see his home again. Caitlin McLean, from Scotland, was visiting her boyfriend, Gisli Gunnarsson, in Grindavik when they were forced to flee his home at midnight on Friday, packing only a few essential items, to stay with Mr Gunnarsson’s mother in Reykjavik. Police evacuated Grindavik after seismic activity in the area moved south towards the town, with a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now thought to be extending under the community, Iceland’s Meteorological Office said. Ms McLean, 34, captured the moment the furniture and light fixtures shook violently in Mr Gunnarsson’s home on Friday. “At around four on Friday, (the earthquakes) just started being non-stop. Just constant big quakes for hours,” Mr Gunnarsson, 29, told the PA news agency The music composer, who was born and raised in Grindavik, described the situation as “grim”. He said: “First and foremost, the thought that you might never see your home town ever again, that’s tough. “We all rushed out of (Grindavik) so quickly, in a matter of hours, so we didn’t really think at the time that might possibly be the last time we see our home, so that’s been difficult. “It’s a pretty grim situation at the moment.” Ms McLean, an artist, added that the situation has been “difficult” for people to understand. She told PA: “I think it’s difficult for the residents to really process that. “I think everyone’s still a wee bit shocked and it’s not really sinking in there is a possibility they’re not going to be able to go home.” It's a pretty grim situation at the moment Gisli Gunnarsson, resident of Grindavik Ms McLean has urged volcano enthusiasts to avoid the area and “be respectful” to people whose homes have been affected. She said: “I would definitely say there’s been quite a lot of people wanting to fly over (to Iceland), like people that are interested in volcanoes and lava. “They’re trying to keep tourists away because there’s been people already trying to fly drones over the town. “I understand for a lot of people this is a big spectacle, but these people are losing their homes potentially, so just to be respectful.” Mr Gunnarsson said the earthquakes on Friday were the worst he has experienced. “Not even the search and rescue are really going (to the town) at the moment. “The uncertainty is too high and it’s ready to pop at any moment, the eruption,” he said. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, said on Thursday it would close until November 16 due to the risk of an eruption.

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A volcanic eruption could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik or lead to extensive ash clouds, experts have warned. The country has been shaken by more than 2,000 small earthquakes in the past few days prompting fears the tremours could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. Thousands have been told to evacuate Grindavik as a precautionary measure as a magma tunnel stretches below the surface. If an eruption occurs in or close to the town, the consequences will be devastating, volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson warned. He told news site RUV: “This is very bad news. One of the most serious scenarios is an eruption in the town itself, similar to that in Vestmannaeyjar, 50 years ago. "This is [would be] much worse," says Ármann. Ragga Ágústdóttir, who lives close to Grinvadik, said residents were fearful of what could happen if an eruption struck. “The scenario on the table now is that it will happen in or just north of the town of Grindavik. There’s no good option here,” she told The Independent. If a volcanic eruption does not happen in Grinvadik, one could occur out at sea, experts have said. MP Gisli Olafsson said the country was praying the “worst case scenarios do not happen”. He shared on X, formerly Twitter: “The situation in Grinvadik continues to become even more grave than before. The town has already suffered considerable damage from the earthquakes and from the shifts in the ground as the magma thrusts itself upwards.” He said a 15km magma tunnel could turn into a fissure vent eruption as the chamber beneath the area was two times larger than previous eruptions in Reykjanes over the past few years. There is a chance the eruption could occur under the ocean, resulting in an explosive eruption and extensive ash clouds, he said. “Scientists have warned that they may not be able to give any further warning of when the magma reaches the surface, making it quite dangerous to go in there,” he added. It comes as residents endured a less shaky night as 880 earthquakes below magnitude three were recorded overnight compared to the previous 1,485 earthquakes which rocked the country in previous days. Some 3,000 residents have been evacuated, with many forced to leave their pets behind. A meeting on Saturday afternoon determined that only residents from the Þórkätlustað district were safe to swiftly return to collect necessities, report RUV. Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, professor of geophysics, told RUV seismic activity continues, despite slowing down. He predicted three scenarios; the first is an eruption near Grindavik or north of the town; the second is that there is no eruption and the third, and least likely prediction, according to Mr Guðmundsson, is an undersea eruption. Iceland is highly susceptible to natural disasters as it lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a divergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate are moving away from each other, leading to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. “I don’t think it’s long before an eruption, hours or a few days. The chance of an eruption has increased significantly,” Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told state broadcaster RUV yesterday. Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a fissure in the ground measuring between 500 750 metres long in the region’s Fagradalsfjall volcanic system. Read More Iceland: Thousands evacuated as fears of volcano eruption grow Iceland earthquakes: Your rights if you are on holiday there or are planning to go Mapped: Iceland earthquake locations revealed as volcano eruption alert issued Iceland volcano eruption could be ‘hours or days’, meteorologist warns Iceland evacuates town and raises aviation alert as concerns rise a volcano may erupt Warning volcanic eruption ‘could obliterate Grindavik’ as residents flee - latest