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| Iceland volcano: Bardarbunga eruption sparks red alert | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iceland has issued a red alert to the aviation industry for the Bardarbunga volcano, meaning significant ash emissions are likely. | Iceland has issued a red alert to the aviation industry for the Bardarbunga volcano, meaning significant ash emissions are likely. |
| The Icelandic Met Office has warned that a small eruption under an ice cap has begun at Bardarbunga. | |
| The air space over the site has been closed, but all Icelandic airports currently remain open, authorities say. | The air space over the site has been closed, but all Icelandic airports currently remain open, authorities say. |
| Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in 2010, producing an ash cloud that severely disrupted air travel. | Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in 2010, producing an ash cloud that severely disrupted air travel. |
| The red alert is the highest warning on the country's five-point scale. | The red alert is the highest warning on the country's five-point scale. |
| Flooding threat | Flooding threat |
| The Icelandic Met Office said a team of scientists was flying across the region on Saturday afternoon to monitor seismic activity. | The Icelandic Met Office said a team of scientists was flying across the region on Saturday afternoon to monitor seismic activity. |
| "The eruption is considered a minor event at this point," police said in a statement. | |
| "Because of pressure from the glacier cap, it is uncertain whether the eruption will stay sub-glacial or not." | |
| British Airways announced it was keeping the situation "under close observation", but that all its flights were continuing to operate normally for now. | |
| The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said there would be no impact on flights unless there was an actual eruption. | |
| Bardarbunga is part of a large volcano system hidden beneath the 500-metre (0.31-mile) thick Vatnajokull glacier in central Iceland. | Bardarbunga is part of a large volcano system hidden beneath the 500-metre (0.31-mile) thick Vatnajokull glacier in central Iceland. |
| Authorities have previously warned that any eruption in the volcano could result in flooding north of the glacier. | |
| On Wednesday, authorities evacuated several hundred people from the area over fears of an eruption. | |
| The region, located more than 300km (190 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, has no permanent residents but sits within a national park popular with tourists. | The region, located more than 300km (190 miles) from the capital Reykjavik, has no permanent residents but sits within a national park popular with tourists. |
| The move came after geologists reported that about 300 earthquakes had been detected in the area since midnight on Tuesday. | The move came after geologists reported that about 300 earthquakes had been detected in the area since midnight on Tuesday. |
| The Eyjafjallajokull eruption in April 2010 caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War Two, with losses estimated at between 1.5bn and 2.5bn euros (£1.3-2.2bn). | The Eyjafjallajokull eruption in April 2010 caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War Two, with losses estimated at between 1.5bn and 2.5bn euros (£1.3-2.2bn). |
| Criticism following the strictly enforced shutdown resulted in the CAA relaxing its rules to allow planes to fly in areas with a low density of volcanic ash. |