Iceland evacuates town and raises aviation alert as concerns rise a volcano may erupt

Residents of a fishing town in southwestern Iceland left their homes Saturday after increasing concern about a potential volcanic eruption caused civil defense authorities to declare a state of emergency in the region. Police decided to evacuate Grindavik after recent seismic activity in the area moved south toward the town and monitoring indicated that a corridor of magma, or semi-molten rock, now extends under the community, Iceland’s Meteorological Office said. “At this stage, it is not possible to determine exactly whether and where magma might reach the surface,” the Meteorological Office said.