Iceland declared a state of emergency on Friday after a series of powerful earthquakes rocked the country’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, in what could be a precursor to a volcanic eruption.

“The National police chief … declares a state of emergency for civil defence due to the intense earthquake (activity) at Sundhnjukagigar, north of Grindavik,” the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement.

“Earthquakes can become larger than those that have occurred and this series of events could lead to an eruption,” the administration warned.

The Icelandic Met Office (IMO) said an eruption could take place “in several days”.

The village of Grindavik, home to around 4,000 people, is located some three kilometres (1.86 miles) southwest of the area where Friday’s earthquake swarm was registered.

It has evacuation plans in place in case of an eruption.

Around 1730 GMT, two strong earthquakes were felt as far away as the capital Reykjavik some 40 kilometres away, and along much of the country’s southern coast, rattling windows and household objects.

According to preliminary IMO figures, the biggest tremor had a magnitude of 5.2, north of Grindavik.

Police closed a road running north-south to Grindavik on Friday after it was damaged by the tremors.

Some 24,000 tremors have been registered on the peninsula since late October, according to the IMO, with “a dense swarm” of nearly 800 quakes registered between midnight and 1400 GMT Friday.

The IMO noted an accumulation of magma underground at a depth of about five kilometres (3.1 miles). Should it start moving towards the surface it could lead to a volcanic eruption.

“The most likely scenario is that it will take several days rather than hours for magma to reach the surface,” it said.

“If a fissure were to appear where the seismic activity is at its highest now, lava would flow to the southeast and to the west, but not towards Grindavik.”

New active era

Nonetheless, the Department of Civil Protection said it was sending the patrol vessel Thor to Grindavik “for security purposes”.

Emergency shelters and help centres were to open in Grindavik later Friday, as well as three other locations in southern Iceland, for information purposes and to assist people on the move.

On Thursday, the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination located near Grindavik famed for its geothermal spas and luxury hotels, closed as a precaution following another earthquake swarm.

Also nearby is the Svartsengi geothermal plant, the main supplier of electricity and water to 30,000 residents on the Reykjanes peninsula.

It has contingency plans in place to protect the plant and its workers in the event of an eruption.

Since 2021, three eruptions have taken place on the Reykjanes peninsula, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023.

Those three were located far from any infrastructure or populated areas.

Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the highest number in Europe.

The North Atlantic island straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

Prior to the March 2021 eruption in an uninhabited area around Mount Fagradalsfjall, the Reykjanes volcanic system had remained dormant for eight centuries.

Volcanologists believe the new cycle of increased activity could last for several decades or centuries.

An April 2010 massive eruption at another Iceland volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull in the south of the island, forced the cancellation of some 100,000 flights, leaving more than 10 million travellers stranded.

Jared Leto, the American actor and musician, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first person to scale the 102-story Empire State Building. The Oscar-winning actor undertook this extraordinary challenge to promote his band’s upcoming tour.

After accomplishing the feat, the musician shared with journalists that he undertook the challenge to check off a long-desired goal and to also generate buzz for his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, ahead of their upcoming world tour scheduled from March to September 2024.

Watch the video here:

In 1933, King Kong climbed the Empire State Building.

In 2023, @JaredLeto took his place. pic.twitter.com/W0CTuZ6rQL

— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) November 9, 2023

“The building is a testament to all the things that can be done in the world if we put our minds to it,” said Leto in a press release, “which is largely the inspiration behind our most recent album, ‘It’s the End of the World, But It’s a Beautiful Day.'”

Leto added that the experience was “incredible” but “challenging,” showing off a cut and his bloody fingers, according to People.

“We just put an album out called It’s the End of the World, But It’s a Beautiful Day. So it was in celebration of the tour and, you know, doing those things that you aspire to do,” he said.

Leto hopes to undertake some more climbing after this week’s trip, but in a different location.

“I spend a lot of time in Yosemite, so that’s a special place. And there are a lot of things I want to do there. But I do like to climb buildings in cities; that’s a really fun thing to do,” he said.

The Seasons tour kicks off on March 15 at Lollapalooza in Buenos Aires, making stops in Copenhagen, Paris, and Madrid, and wrapping on September 19 in Auckland, New Zealand, according to People.

Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India, impressed everyone at the US embassy in New Delhi with his Bollywood dance skills on Friday. Mr Garcetti danced to the hit song ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ during a Diwali celebration event at the embassy.

The original song, which came out in 1998, featured Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora grooving on a train. Mr Garcetti took the stage in a blue kurta and a pair of shades as the audience clapped and cheered.

The video was shared and applauded by several users on X (formerly Twitter).

“I applaud the jovial spirit of US Ambassador to India, Mr Eric Garcetti, for showing delightful interest in Diwali celebrations. Let there be light and happiness in the relationship of US and India like this forever!” said Satnam Singh Sandhu, the founder chancellor of Chandigarh University.

I applaud the jovial spirit of US Ambassador to India, Mr. @ericgarcetti, for showing delightful interest in Diwali celebrations. Let there be light and happiness in the relationship of US and India like this forever!@USAmbIndia pic.twitter.com/8COlQ5EGlQ

— Satnam Singh Sandhu (@satnamsandhuchd) November 10, 2023

Since being appointed in May, Mr Garcetti has wholeheartedly soaked in the Indian traditions and recently celebrated Durga Puja at Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park with enthusiasm and vigour. He visited a pandal at CR Park and enjoyed traditional Bengali delicacies. The US diplomat also performed Dhunuchi Naach, which is referred to as a dance dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Earlier this week, Mr Garcetti paid a surprise visit to the US visa centre in Delhi to interact with applicants. His visit came at a time when waiting periods for a US visa appointment are as high as 511 days.

To address the surging demand for US visas, the United States has made substantial investments in its operations in India. The US Mission has expanded its workforce to streamline visa processing, upgraded facilities at the US Consulate in Chennai, and inaugurated a new Consulate building in Hyderabad.

Last year, over 1.2 million Indians visited the US, solidifying this as one of the world’s most substantial travel relationships. Indians now account for over 10% of all visa applicants worldwide, with 20% seeking student visas and 65% applying for H&L-category employment visas.