REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 23 (UPI) -- Ash from the eruption of Iceland's most active volcano has forced the closure of a road from Vik to Freysnes because of limited visibility, officials said.
The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano in southeast Iceland Sunday forced the closure of Reykjavik-Keflavik International Airport and Iceland's civil protection agency imposed a no-fly zone of 120 nautical miles around the volcano.
The Iceland Review reported Monday visibility on the closed road had dropped to about 12 feet. Officials hope for some help from northerly winds to dissipate the ash cloud.
Ash fall has been reported all the way from Reykjavik in the southwest to the Trollaskagi Peninsula in the north.
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All domestic flights at Reykjavik-Keflavik International Airport were canceled Monday morning some flights could be cleared later in the day.
Officials were determining if airports in Akureyri or Egilsstadir could handle some international fights that normally use Reykjavik-Keflavik.
Meteorologists said the ash plume probably would not reach the European mainland. Preliminary testing of the ash indicates it is free of large amounts of toxic chemicals, such as fluorine.
Authorities said livestock should be kept inside or moved away from the ash fall and animals kept outside must have clean drinking water and be given quality feed regularly.
Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in April and May 2010 and more than 100,000 flights were grounded in Europe as a result of ash clouds.
Grimsvotn has erupted at least 60 times in the past 800 years, most recently in 1983, 1998 and 2004. The volcano, about 5,000-feet tall, is underneath an uninhabited icecap in southeast Iceland.
