People watch flowing lava during an volcanic eruption near Litli Hrutur, south-west of Reykjavik in Iceland on July 10, 2023. (Photo by Kristinn Magnusson / AFP)
Reykjavik: Icelandic authorities said Friday they could no longer observe volcanic activity at a site were an eruption started Monday.
The eruption opened a fissure in the ground about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long, spewing glowing fountains of orange lava into the sky only three kilometres from the town of Grindavik.
"Volcanic activity seems to have come to an end late yesterday night or early that morning," the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said Friday, explaining no activity had been visible during surveillance flights.
"Despite that it is possible that lava is flowing underneath... and therefore it is not possible to say that the eruption is over," IMO stressed.
Authorities also lowered their alert level and the state of emergency, declared on Monday evening, was downgraded by a level.
On Thursday, authorities began allowing the some 4,000 residents of the evacuated town access to the small fishing port between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.
But authorities deemed it was still not safe for overnight stays and first responders were present in the town in case an emergency evacuation was required.
Amid weeks of warnings from scientists, the authorities built reinforcements around the Svartsengi geothermal plant, which is just two kilometres from the eruption and supplies electricity and water to 30,000 people on the peninsula.
Discussions are underway about the possibility of building a similar barrier to protect Grindavik.
Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.
