By: Cathy Cai

Three tourists were injured in Iceland Wednesday night as they trekked across the rough terrain to a volcanic eruption that is sputtering fountains of red-hot lava, a spokeswoman for Iceland’s civil protection agency said. The injuries were not serious, but they underscored the risks that tourists face if they try to hike to the lava flowing from the Fagradalsfjall volcano in southwest Iceland.

“We tell people that, even though we know it’s spectacular and there’s nothing like it, we have to be careful, and we have to be prepared before we go,” Ms. Gudmundsdottir said. “The hike to and from the area, she said, takes about five hours and, since the volcano erupted last year, it may involve crossing lava that is still fragile and hot beneath the surface.” OMG the volcano erupted last year and it still had not fully cooled down.

“We don’t know how many people have been there, but we know it is many, and we know the next days, it will be more,” she said. “We know we can’t say, ‘Stay away.’ But we are not locking the place.