Iceland reopens Blue Lagoon after volcano stabilises

One of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions has reopened after eruptions at a nearby volcano.

The popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was reopened on Sunday after authorities said the volcano had stabilised after erupting four days earlier.

Oddny Arnarsdottir, the head of Visit Iceland, said authorities had redrawn the security zones in the area and the lagoon was judged safe to reopen for tourists.

Hundreds of tourists bathed in the lagoon, with the view of the erupting crater in the background.

Wednesday’s eruption was the fifth and most powerful since the volcanic system reawakened in December after 800 years.

It gushed record levels of lava as its fissure grew to 2.1 miles in length.

The activity last week threatened Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people, and led to the evacuation of the geothermal spa.

Grindavik, about 30 miles southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has been threatened since a swarm of November earthquakes forced an evacuation ahead of the initial December 18 eruption.

A subsequent eruption consumed several buildings.

Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular eruptions.

The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to widespread airspace closures over Europe.