KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 – People in Britain are being advised to stay indoors today as recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland have released a massive and dangerous cloud of sulphur dioxide (SO2). The Daily Mail reported.

SO2 is a gas typically released during the combustion of coal or crude oil, but is also an important byproduct of volcanic activity.

Inhaling this gas can cause sore throat, cough, runny nose, burning eyes, tightness in the lungs and other breathing difficulties.

According to reports, Iceland was covered by a caustic and acidic cloud in the early hours of the morning.

The French news agency AFP reported that the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported a new eruption at 9:26 p.m. last Thursday, following a series of earthquakes on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula.

Video images showed orange lava erupting from a long fissure, which the IMO estimated to be 3.9 kilometers long.

The IMO also announced that there would be “northern and northwesterly winds” at the eruption site, which would carry the pollutants from the site out to sea.

The Reykjanes Peninsula reportedly went 800 years without an eruption until March 2021, followed by further volcanic activity in August 2022 and July and December 2023.

Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the highest number in Europe.

It extends across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the sea floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.