Volcano erupts in southern Iceland, hundreds evacuated

Reykjavik: Iceland's civil protection agency said authorities evacuated hundreds of people after a volcano erupted beneath a glacier in southern Iceland.

The eruption occurred on Sunday beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland.The volcano is covered by an ice cap.

Vidir Reynisson, the department manager for the Icelandic Civil Protection Department, said that fearing flooding from the glacier melt, authorities evacuated some 400 people in the area.

The last time the volcano erupted was in the 1820s.

Reynisson said, "We do not at this moment know the full extent of the eruption but a team is flying over the site now to evaluate the situation."