Ash cloud chaos set to continue

Iceland’s gigantic cloud of volcanic ash spread further across Europe on Friday as experts warned that the fallout from the eruption of a volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier could take several days to clear. The ash plumes spewing out of the erupting volcano extended from the Atlantic to Moscow and from the Arctic Circle to Austria, as more countries cancelled air travel.

Photo: Eurocontrol

“The eruption that started on the morning of the 14th [April] is still going on, and is still as strong as it has been for the last two days,” Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist from the University of Iceland, told RFI.

“We have been monitoring this volcano, quite actively, and the activity has been increasing steadily. We have been tracing the pathway of the magma through the crust from the very beginning, so when it finally made it to the surface, it was not a surprise, it was actually predicted.”

Around 800 people in Iceland returned to their homes after being evacuated, when the volcanic eruption triggered flash floods.

“Because the eruption is under a glacier, it melts a lot of ice, and this water is coming down the flanks of the volcano,” said Einarsson.

Health authorities were also monitoring the situation, and although the World Health Organisation said there was no major risk to health, they were concerned about the effect on those with respiratory problems once ash particles began settling to earth.

The ash cloud was believed to being spread at a height of around 6,000 to 7,000 metres, while precautions over air travel were justified, according to reports from Finland.

Finnish F-18 Hornet fighter jets which flew through the dust on Thursday morning experienced blockages in ventilation channels which could have led to the fracture of engine components.

Air travel across Europe remains seriously disrupted, with passengers advised to stay at home. Though some travellers have been less fortunate: a group of 200 Bangladeshis were stranded at Brussels airport, unable to leave the building, because of a diversion and inadequate visas.

Airspace in the following countries remains affected:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Republic of Ireland
• Slovakia
• Sweden
• UK