A pilot flying his drone above a fissure that opened during a volcanic eruption in Iceland on Wednesday shows lava shooting into the air.
GRINDAVIK, Iceland – If you’ve ever wanted to get a look at an erupting volcano from above – you’re in luck.
A volcano outside the seaside town of Grindavík in Iceland erupted for the fifth time since the end of 2023 on Wednesday, sending lava shooting more than 160 feet into the air while residents and tourists at the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa evacuated the area.
WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE A VOLCANO ERUPTS?
This video shows lava shooting from a volcano during an eruption in Iceland on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
(@jvn.photo via Storyful)
But the brave few who stayed behind to watch the disaster unfold were treated to mesmerizing sights, especially from above.
That was especially true for a drone pilot who was able to capture incredible video of lava spewing from a massive fissure that opened up when the eruption began.
The video shows the lava flowing in all directions from the fissure, as well as shooting high into the air.
CAN ONE VOLCANO’S ERUPTION TRIGGER AN ERUPTION AT ANOTHER VOLCANO?
A volcano outside the seaside town of Grindavik in Iceland has erupted again, sending lava shooting more than 160 feet into the air and forcing the evacuation of the town and the popular tourist destination Blue Lagoon.
Drone pilot Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove said his years of experience with volcanoes had given him a better understanding of “what is possible and what is not” and enabled him to fly his drone as close as possible to the eruption without damaging the pricey equipment.
He uploaded the incredible video to his Instagram account and called the eruption “mind-blowing.”
He also said he believed it to be a miracle that Grindavík had been minimally affected by this latest eruption.
ICELAND RESIDENT DESCRIBED RELENTLESS EARTHQUAKES, MOMENTS OF PANICKED EVACUATION
Video recorded at Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon shows people evacuating as sirens wail in the distance warning of a volcanic eruption outside the seaside town of Grindavik on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
Officials in Iceland had been busy building protective walls around the town and critical infrastructure since fears of an eruption began in late 2023.
Those walls appeared to have done what they were built to do: deflect the lava around the town. Roads in the area, however, are now impassible after lava flowed over them and blocked most routes into and out of Grindavík.