Iceland warns likelihood of volcanic eruption is significant after hundreds of earthquakes

Officials in Iceland are preparing for a possible volcanic eruption in the wake of hundreds of earthquakes that forced a coastal town along the island nation's southern peninsula to evacuate and prompted a state of emergency. There is a "significant likelihood" that an eruption will happen in the coming days, the Icelandic Meteorological Office warns.

A spike in seismic activity led Icelandic authorities to evacuate the southwestern fishing town of Grindavík, which is about an hour's drive from Reykjavík, the capital city, on Friday night. The town with a population of just over 3,600 people is known internationally for tourist draws like the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa, and is about 15 miles from Iceland's only major airport.  

Grindavík was evacuated as a precautionary measure, the country's department of civil protection and emergency management said in a bulletin shared online this week, adding that there were no immediate threats to safety. Several shelters were established farther east for Grindavík residents who left their homes.