Flights have been grounded and people warned to stay away following a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland, with molten lava causing spectacular red skies visible for miles.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said earlier tonight eruptions have begun in Fagradalsfjall, in the Reykjanes Peninsula, near Reykjavik, after thousands of tremors in recent days.
“The eruption was first seen on a web camera positioned close [to] the mountain,” wrote IMO on its website. “It was also confirmed on thermal satellite imagery.”
It said the eruption occurred around 9.15pm local time, with the fishing town of Grindavík the nearest populated area, around 10km southwest.
Imagery shows a crack - estimated to measure nearly 200 metres - casting slow flowing lava, while nearby roads have been bathed in a red reflective shimmer.
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All air traffic at Keflavik International Airport has been grounded as a result, but there are currently no reports of ash fall, although tephra and gas emissions are expected, said IMO.
Locals are said to be on standby in case they have to evacuate, and police have called on people to stay away.
A helicopter with scientific personnel had been scrambled to assess the extent of the eruption, officials said.
The volcano, on Fagradalsfjall mountain, is a seismic hotspot, where more than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred since February 24 - more than the whole of last year.
Volcanic eruptions in the region are known as effusive eruptions, where lava flows steadily from the ground, rather than in an explosive manner spewing ash clouds high into the sky.
IMO said: "The weather on the peninsula is wet and windy, and an orange glow can be seen in low clouds on the horizon from Reykjanesbær and Grindavík.
"The eruption site is in a valley, about 4.7 km inland from the southern coast of the peninsula.
"The coastal town of Grindavík is the [closest] populated region to the eruption site, located approximately 10 km to the southwest."
It added: "There are presently no reports of ash fall, although tephra and gas emissions are to be expected."
Icelandic police said on Twitter: "We ask people to stay calm and not under any circumstances go close to the eruption site or on Reykjanesbraut.
"First responders need to be able to drive freely to assess the situation. Scientists are working on assessing the eruption."
The source of the past weeks' earthquakes is a large body of molten rock, known as magma, moving roughly one kilometre beneath the peninsula, as it tries to push its way to the surface.
"We've never seen so much seismic activity," Sara Barsotti, volcanic hazards coordinator at the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) told Reuters earlier this week.
Some of those quakes clocked in at magnitudes as high as 5.7.
This evening the office posted on Twitter: "Volcanic eruption has begun in Fagradalsfjall."
Authorities in Iceland warned of an imminent volcanic eruption on the peninsula at the start of the month - but said they did not expect it to disturb international air traffic or damage critical infrastructure.
In 2010 around 900,000 flights were halted and hundreds were forced from their homes following a massive eruption nearby.
Experts are expecting lava to erupt from fissures in the ground, possibly resulting in spectacular lava fountains, which could extend 20 to 100 metres in the air.
Last year authorities put an emergency plan in place for the region, with one option being to put locals on boats in the North Atlantic if an eruption shuts roads.
