Volcanic eruption forces evacuations and threatens Iceland’s Blue Lagoon

>> Reporter: TONIGHT, A BLAZEN WALL OF LAVA IS SPREADING ACROSS SOUTHERN ICELAND. A VOLCANO SPEWING BRIGHT ORANGE SMOKE SEEN HERE IN STUNNING PHOTOS FROM A COAST GUARD HELICOPTER FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN AS MANY MONTHS. THIS TIME THREATENING ICELAND'S MOST FAMOUS TOURIST ATTRACTION, THE BLUE LAGOON HOT SPRING WHERE BATHERS HAD JUST MINUTES TO FLEE. >> WE ARE EVACUATING. >> LOOK AT THAT. WOW! >> Reporter: AMERICAN MELISSA'S VACATION WITH HER HUSBAND INTERRUPTED MID-MEAL. >> AS THE WAITRESS WAS BRINGING MY WINE WE HEARD THE SOUND GO OFF AND THAT'S WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND THEY SAID OKAY. EVACUATION EN ROUTE. >> Reporter: LOCAL MEDIA SAY HUNDREDS IN A TOWN NEAR THE BLUE LAGOON HAVE FLED TO SAFETY. >> EVERYBODY WAS STEADY AND PREPARED. >> METEOROLOGICAL AUTHORITIES SAY THE VOLCANO ERUPTED IN 40 MINUTES AND CARVED A FISSURE INTO THE EARTH NEARLY TWO MILES LONG TRIGGERING A STATE OF EMERGENCY, AN ORANGE GLOW SEEN IN RAKOVIC, THE CAPITAL. VOLCANOES SIT ATOP A HOT SPRING WHICH IS A GEOLOGICAL HOT SPOT. THIS VOLCANO HAS BEEN ERUPTING ONCE A MONTH SINCE DECEMBER, BUT THIS ERUPTION APPEARS TO BE THE BIG OF THE YET. NO DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AND TONIGHT DEFENSIVE BARRIERS BUILT TO CONTAIN THE LAVA ARE HOLDING SO FAR, BUT SCIENTISTS SAY IT MAY ONLY BE THE BEGINNING. >> WE MIGHT HAVE ERUPTIONS IN THE PENINSULA ON AND OFF FOR THE NEXT FEW H

Channel: NBC News

Views: 100,905

Keywords: Health, International News, Lester Holt, Making A Difference, NBC Nightly News, National News, News, Nightly News, U.S. News, breaking news, evening news, politics, world news

Id: 4FXWZJXVmgw

Length: 1min 43sec (103 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 18 2024