People measuring the water level in the Markarfljót river in south Iceland, which flooded because of the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier, appears to have peaked and might now be subsiding.
Markarfljót on a quiet summer’s day. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
According to ruv.is, there are no icebergs in the river, which indicates that the eruption isn’t particularly large, although it is many times more powerful than the eruption on Fimmvörduháls mountain pass. The volcanic fissure on the glacier’s surface is two kilometers long.
The flood is now progressing down the Markarfljót sands and across the hills above the farm Thorvaldseyri, which is located at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull.
The Ring Road by the farm Seljaland is also submerged in water. Holes have been made in the road in a few places, which seems to have saved the bridges that lead across it.
A meeting between the representatives of the Civil Protection Department, the Coast Guard and the undersecretaries of all ministries in Iceland is currently taking place in the coordination center in Skógarhlíd in Reykjavík.
A meeting with Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir and Minister of Justice Ragna Árnadóttir ended at noon.
The Coast Guard airplane TF-SIF is currently taking earth scientists to the eruption site so that they can evaluate the eruption’s situation. They are expected to return at 5 pm and then a new meeting will be held in the coordination center.
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