Group Was Landed Near An Erupting Volcano, According To Icelandic Police

A group on a helicopter tour was placed in "grave danger" when the aircraft was landed near an erupting volcano in Iceland recently, according to the Icelandic Police’s Department of Civil Protection.

Only scientists and media personnel with special permission may get close to the erupting Holuhraun volcano. A video of a private group with the eruption in the background has gotten a lot of attention since first being mentioned in a report from The Iceland Weather Report.

The Iceland Review reports that the area is considered to be very dangerous, with nearly double the maximum levels of pollution for populated areas measured in the region. There is also a danger of a sub-glacial eruption that could come without warning.

The company that flew the tour is Raykjavic Helicopters, but the pilot was apparently not authorized to land. A company spokesman said told ruv.is that the pilot has not yet been interviewed, and it was hoped that when that conversation happens, they will find out why he chose to land at the site.

The company said in a statement that it has been focused on safety when flying to the site, and that it has not landed except when it had permission to do so. The statement said those flights have primarily involved scientists and journalists.

(Image from Icleand Weather Report Facebook page)

FMI: www.island.is/english/travel_and_transport/natural-hazars/civil-protection/