Copenhagen, 23 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) — A volcano in Iceland erupted on Thursday, the sixth in the region since December.

After an earthquake shook the area, lava bubbled out of the ground on the Reykjanes peninsula, south-west of the capital Reykjavik, the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV reported on Thursday evening.

As a precaution, the remaining residents of the fishing village of Grindavík were evacuated, RÚV reported, citing the fire department.

The popular tourist attraction Blue Lagoon, an outdoor thermal pool, had been closed and evacuated as a precautionary measure, the company said in a statement. It would remain closed on Friday.

Since March 2021, there have been repeated fissure eruptions on the peninsula, in which the liquid rock comes to the surface from an elongated crack in the earth.

During an eruption in January, lava engulfed three houses on the northern edge of Grindavík, which has a population of 4,000.