Airline passengers face massive disruption across Europe after an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounds planes
Flood Fears
The volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland Wednesday partially melted a glacier, setting off a major flood that threatened to damage roads and bridges and forcing hundreds to evacuate from a thinly populated area. But the eruption is causing wider issues across Europe ...Arni Saeberg / Handout / Icelandic Coast Guard / Reuters
Manchester Misery
Grounded aircraft are pictured parked on the apron at Manchester Airport in England. Most people thought the main event taking place in Manchester Thursday would be the first ever U.K. election debate between the three main political parties.Andrew Yates / AFP / Getty Images
Nightmare Sight
The electronic board (right) showing the cancellation of inbound flights is pictured beside a notice warning of disruptions at an arrival terminal in Manchester Airport. Experts have warned that the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud would be sufficient to jam aircraft engines. In 1982, a British Airways jumbo jet had all four engines shut down as it flew through a plume of volcanic ash.Andrew Yates / AFP / Getty Images
Read All About It
This passenger reads his newspaper beside empty check-in counters at Belfast International airport in Northern Ireland. Tens of thousands of passengers across Europe were experiencing similar frustration. Meanwhile, one British bookmaker is offering odds on the next volcano to erupt: Mount Unzen in Japan is the 3/1 favorite.Peter Muhly / AFP / Getty Images
Weekend Woes
It appears that Sarah's hen (bachelorette) weekend has been put on hold at Newcastle airport in England. While this lady may have a drink in her hand, who knows how long it will take until the party can truly start.Scott Heppell / AP
Travel Chaos
... This satellite photograph shows the cloud of volcanic ash between Iceland (top left) and Scotland. It's resulted in disrupted air traffic across Northern Europe as authorities closed British and Nordic air space, shut down Europe's busiest airport at Heathrow and canceled hundreds of flights. With the major trans-Atlantic hub at Heathrow closed, dozens of flights to the U.S. were on hold, with cancellations spreading across the continent to major hubs at Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva and Paris.Met Office / Handout / EUMETSAT / Reuters
Steaming Up
A plume of steam rising 22,000 feet (6700 meters) from a crater under about 656 feet (200 metres) of ice at the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.Arni Saeberg / Handout / Icelandic Coast Guard / Reuters
Heading South
Met Office forecaster Philip Avery said the ash could take several days to clear. "It is showing up on imagery at the moment, extending down as far as the Faroes but it looks as though the wind will drag it a good deal further south."Arni Saeberg / Handout / Icelandic Coast Guard / Reuters
Helping Hands
Highway 1, the road that goes around Iceland, has been cut off by the flood caused by the eruption. The walls that were in place to protect the road have been damaged, but have largely held up. A newly built bridge was thought to be in danger, and so a construction crew working on a nearby harbor helped out. They dug holes in the highway in four different places, thus affecting the direction of the flood. "The guy on the Caterpillar really earned his pay," said Minister of Finance Steingrimur Sigfusson.Arni Saeberg / Handout / Icelandic Coast Guard / Reuters
Safety First
Authorities have evacuated 800 residents from around the glacier as rivers rose by up to 10 feet (3 meters). Emergency officials and scientists said the eruption under the ice cap was 10 to 20 times more powerful than the one that occurred in March, carrying a far greater risk of widespread flooding.Icelandic Coastguard / AP
Keeping Track
Members of the Icelandic coast guard fly over the erupting volcano by the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.AFP / Getty Images
More S.O.S. Than SAS
SAS planes stand on the tarmac Thursday at Oslo's Gardermoen airport, where all air traffic was suspended. Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja — who had planned to fly Thursday to Copenhagen for the Danish Queen's 70th birthday — were trying to take a "car, boat or train." And a canceled trans-Atlantic flight left Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg grounded in New York.Hakon Mosvold Larsen / AFP / Getty Images
Stranded in Scotland
Empty check-in counters are pictured at Glasgow airport in Scotland Thursday as the airport was closed following the cloud of volcanic ash. The Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) said no flights would be allowed in or out of U.K. airspace until 1800BST amid fears of engine damage.Andy Buchanan / AFP / Getty Images
