Tourists are told to stay away from an erupting volcano in Iceland because of poisonous gases

abcnews.go.com:

Authorities in Iceland have warned tourists and other spectators to stay away from a newly erupting volcano that is spewing lava and noxious gases from a fissure in the country’s southwest

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Authorities in Iceland on Tuesday warned tourists and other spectators to stay away from a newly erupting volcano that is spewing lava and noxious gases from a fissure in the country’s southwest.

The eruption began on Monday afternoon after thousands of earthquakes in the area, meteorological authorities said. This one comes 11 months after its last eruption officially ended. The eruption is in an uninhabited valley near the Litli-Hrútur mountain, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.

The area, known broadly as Fagradalsfjall volcano, erupted in 2021 and 2022 without causing damage or disruptions to flights, despite being near Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s international air traffic hub. The airport remained open on Tuesday.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office said the eruption was initially more explosive than the previous two. Aerial footage showed streams of orange molten lava and clouds of gases spewing from a snaking fissure about 900 meters (half a mile) long.

“Gas pollution is high around the eruption and dangerous,” the Met Office said. “Travelers are advised not to enter the area until responders have had a chance to evaluate conditions.”

By Tuesday morning, the fissure and the volume of the eruption had shrunk, scientists said.

“This has become a small eruption, which is very good news,” University of Iceland geophysics professor Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson told national broadcaster RUV.

He said the eruption could “certainly last a long time, but luckily we’re not looking at a