'A panic situation': Iceland's Blue Lagoon closes over possible volcanic eruption
One of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon is temporarily closed until Thursday as the area braces for a possible volcanic eruption at any moment.
The popular geothermal spa, which sees over 700,000 visitors annually, first shut down on Nov. 9 after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook guests awake at around 1 a.m.
“There was a panic situation,” Bjarni Stefansson, a local cab driver, told The Associated Press. “People thought a volcanic eruption was about to happen.”
In southwest Iceland, the Reykjanes peninsula is located above a volcanic hotspot and the area has been experiencing small quakes each day since Oct. 25.
“At this moment it is not possible to determine when or where an eruption might occur,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement on Monday. “The Icelandic Meteorological Office, Civil Protection, and a team of scientists from the University of Iceland are closely monitoring the situation and analyzing the developments.”
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A state of emergency was declared for the region on Saturday and the town of Grindavik – just three miles from the Blue Lagoon – evacuated residents for being in a defined “danger zone,” according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
The post also said an eruption could start at “anytime in the next few days.”
The Blue Lagoon, Silica Hotel, Retreat Spa, Retreat Hotel, Lava, and Moss Restaurant are the facilities closed until 7 a.m. on Nov. 16, at which a reopening or continued closure will be assessed.
People with reservations to the Blue Lagoon through Wednesday have been contacted and hotel guests are able to cancel or reschedule their visit.
The last eruption in the area occurred in July and drew in flocks of tourists. However, when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in 2010, it was a different story. Volcanic ash spewed into the air, causing over 100,000 flights to be canceled over the course of six days.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Volcanic activity closes Iceland's Blue Lagoon
