Residents of volcano-threatened Icelandic town allowed brief visit home

People of Grindavik, where eruption could happen within hours, permitted five minutes to collect pets and essentials

Some of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated from an Icelandic fishing town have been allowed to return briefly to their homes to collect pets and essential belongings, as experts warned that a volcano could erupt within days or even hours.

One resident from each household in one district of Grindavik was permitted to enter their home for five minutes on Sunday in what Iceland's civil defence force called a planned and controlled operation under the orders of the police".