Iceland’s Blue Lagoon spa closes temporarily as earthquakes put area on alert for volcanic eruption

By EGILL BJARNASON
Associated Press

HUSAVIK, Iceland (AP) — The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, has closed temporarily as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated region on alert for a possible volcanic eruption. Guests rushed to leave the spa’s hotels in the early hours of Thursday, after they were rattled awake shortly before 1 a.m. by a magnitude 4.8 quake. It was the strongest to hit the region since the recent wave of seismic activity began on Oct. 25.  Bjarni Stefansson, a local taxi driver, described a scene of confusion when he arrived at the Retreat Hotel, where lava rocks had fallen on the roadway and the parking lot was jammed with 20 to 30 cabs.