ICELAND ERUPTS

Teams race to finish defence walls as lava heads for town

-  LUCY THORNTON

ICELAND has been rocked by a major volcanic eruption after suffering weeks of earthquakes.

Fountains of lava shot 500 feet into the air from a fissure two and a half miles long at 10pm on Monday night.

The eruption had been expected to follow the series of earthquakes that left the fishing town of Grindavik abandoned, though its exact date could not be predicted.

Locals have been warned to stay indoors and close windows against toxic volcanic gases. The wind is currently blowing the gases out to sea but there is concern the capital Reykjavik could be hit if it changes.

President of Iceland Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson had to declare a state of emergency for the second time in recent weeks.

Expat lain Davies, 47, who has lived in Iceland for 13 years, said he woke yesterday to find the sky an apocalyptic red.

Iain, formerly of Tickhill in Doncaster, South Yorks, said: "I looked out the window and saw this massive sunrise.

"The sky was just red on the horizon, it's bizarre. It's like end-of-the-world vibes.

In a country often hit by earthquakes, he added: "Truthfully the vast majority of people are so used to this, it doesn't bother them but this is bigger than normal.

"Everyone is so blasé about it, it's incredible. But it's an unbelievable force of Mother Nature.

"We've also had lots of power cuts.