Thrillseekers have ignored danger warnings and are travelling to the location of a huge volcano eruption in Iceland as queues of cars are spotted close to the area.
Despite bubbling lava and immense smoke clouds taking over the site, people have been attempting to get close enough to see the natural disaster first hand.
Thousands of people were evacuated in the Reykjanes peninsula after a volcano in the South West erupted overnight.
The eruption began around 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavik just after 10pm on Monday.
Thrillseekers have ignored danger warnings and are travelling to the location of a huge volcano eruption in Iceland
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It follows a number of earthquakes in the region which led to an evacuation as the country declared a state of emergency.
Astonishing pictures today showed huge queues of cars travelling towards the volcano.
According to Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a scientist who flew over the site on Tuesday, twice as much lava had already spewed than the entire monthlong eruption on the peninsula this summer.
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Astonishing pictures today showed huge queues of cars travelling towards the volcano
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Images and livestreams of the eruption show molten rock spewing spectacularly from fissures in the ground, their bright yellow and orange colours set in sharp contrast against the dark night sky.
Despite the obvious dangers, the Ministry of the Environment was forced to issue repeated warnings to those thinking about getting close to the volcano.
One spokesman said: "Think about someone other than yourself and follow the guidelines of the public safety. Please."
Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the US, said: "We are trying to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer. It's a hobby that we've had for four years, attending every single eruption, and we'll continue to do so."
A local resident watch smoke billow as the lava colour the night sky orange from an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula
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Local police said they had raised their alert level as a result of the outbreak and the country's civil defence warned the public not to approach the area while emergency personnel assessed the situation.
The Icelandic government has said the volcanic eruption “does not present a threat to life”, as experts suggested that Grindavík could be spared as the lava appears to be flowing away from the town.
However, Halldor Geirson, an associate professor at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, said Grindavik is still at risk of danger to life.
Prof Geirson said the location of the eruption means most of the lava is currently flowing into an area where there is little infrastructure.
