WATCH: Volcanic eruption in Iceland turns sky blood red | Maqvi News

A powerful volcano breached the earth’s surface and erupted in the town of Grindavik, Iceland turning the sky into blood red and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency. 

Authorities started the evacuation, according to local media reports, with the volcanic eruption sending fissures as long as 3 kilometers. 

It is the fourth since December last year with the recent one in the same area in February.

The lava eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula, Southern Iceland started late Saturday as Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the streams of lava were still flowing Sunday.

Authorities however noted that the flow has slowed down. The eruption was earlier warned for weeks peninsula, south of the capital Reykjavik.

“This was definitely expected,” said Rikke Pedersen, head of the Nordic Volcanological Centre.

Vídir Reynisson, the director of Iceland’s civil defence said that the preparation for lava flow had been done, adding that “pools of lava gathering near defences were also of concern.”

Videos circulating on social media showed lava covering the ground with violent eruption and flowing whereas the smoke covered the sky turning it into a blood-red colour.

After visiting the affected area aerially, Geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said that the eruption “was the most powerful so far” as it reached Grindavik’s eastern defence walls.

The Icelandic Met Office said this lava bed was “significantly wider” than in February when an earlier eruption caused lava to flow in a similar direction.

Authorities have expressed a possible widespread destruction that may be caused by the flow of lava — including disruption in communication lines.

The fishing town where it had been flowing had been evacuated in January due to the volcanic eruption — where 4,000 were living.

The Scandinavian country hosts over 30 active volcanoes, making the north-European island a prime destination for volcano tourism.

An eruption in 2010 at the Eyafjallajokull volcano caused over 100,000 flights to halt, forcing hundreds to leave their residences.