The World
Iceland closes main airsport amid volcano eruption
Posted: May 22, 2011 8:59 AM by AP Posted by James H Egbert
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - Iceland is dealing with another erupting volcano.
It's forced authorities to close the country's main international airport and cancel domestic flights as the mountains sends a plume of ash, smoke and steam 12 miles into the air.
Scientists say this one in "much bigger" and more intense than the volcano that erupted last year and has left a very large area in southeast Iceland in "almost total darkness."
Officials say the ash plume is not heading toward Europe, blowing west toward Greenland instead.
The volcano lies under an uninhabited glacier. It last erupted seven years ago.
In April 2010, ash from another Iceland volcano was blown toward Europe. Officials closed the continent's air space for five days, fearing the ash could harm jet engines. Some 10 million travelers were stranded.
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