Flying over Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that’s brought Europe’s air travel to a halt, is not for the fainthearted. And there may be worse to come.
Fresh eruptions thrust new torrents of molten rock through the shattered ice sheets in the mountain crater, spewing a towering wall of ash, dust and steam high into the air. Photo: SIGURSTEINN BALDURSSON
The power and wrath of Eyjafjallajökull came into dramatic clarity this weekend as the clouds parted for the first time since the glacier-topped volcano threw world air travel into turmoil.
Fresh eruptions thrust new torrents of molten rock through the shattered ice sheets in the mountain crater, spewing a towering wall of ash, dust and steam high into the air.
I was aboard a small six-seater helicopter carrying the first civilian passengers to approach the scene when coastguard observers operating aircraft high above warned the pilot to be wary of the latest barrage of explosions.
Read moreIceland Volcano: An Eyeful of Eyjafjallajökull – There May Be Worse to Come