Evacuation as volcano erupts

A VOLCANO erupted near a glacier in southern Iceland on Saturday, shooting ash and molten lava into the air and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby villages.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, but a state of emergency was declared and scientists feared the eruption could trigger a larger and potentially more dangerous eruption at the Katla volcano.

The eruption, which occurred just before midnight (8pm EDT), came weeks after a series of small quakes.