CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen got some impressive footage from his report on the region of Iceland that has been the focus of recent fears about a potentially catastrophic volcanic eruption.
The town of Grindavík in Iceland’s southern Reykjanes Peninsula has been on emergency alert for weeks as the Icelandic Meteorological Office has counted at least 1,500 earthquakes in the area. The town has been significantly damaged from the quakes, and residents were advised to evacuate as the seismic activity was connected to magma shifts beneath the Earth’s crust, which — combined with the earthquakes — could be a sign of imminent volcanic eruption.
Pleitgen flew with the Icelandic Coast Guard to provide footage of the damage to Grindavík, the site of a recent eruption, and other areas from the emergency zone.
“You can see how everything here is on knife’s edge,” Pleitgen said. “But of course, the authorities are doing everything they can to save the town and save the infrastructure.”
Pleitgen and his team flew past the mouth of the most recent volcano to erupt, plus the lava fields that were “still steaming hot even months after the actual eruption.” Pleitgen noted that Iceland’s government has warned that a major eruption in the area is “highly likely.”
Watch above via CNN International.