Volcano erupts near Eyjafallajoekull glacier in Iceland

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The volcano erupting near the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in Iceland

A volcano in the area of the Eyjafallajoekull glacier in southern Iceland erupted overnight for the first time in 189 years, forcing more than 500 people to evacuate their homes.

The eruption took place just before midnight by the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland. The volcano, which is 1,666m high and has a crater 4km in diameter, is covered by a large ice cap.

Authorities evacuated 400 people in an area southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, amid fears of flooding from the glacier melt. Three Red Cross centres were opened in nearby villages to look after evacuees.

"We estimate that no one is in danger in the area but we have started an evacuation plan and between 500 and 600 people are being evacuated" said Sigurgeir Gudmundsson of the Icelandic civil protections department.

A state of emergency has been declared in communities near the 100 square mile glacier, however no damage or casualties have been reported so far.

“We do not at this moment know the full extent of the eruption but a team is flying over the site now to evaluate the situation,” said said Vidir Reynisson, the department manager for the Icelandic Civil Protection Department.

The Icelandic public radio station RUV reported that three Iceland-bound Icelandair flights, out of Boston, Orlando and Seattle, had been ordered to turn back to the United States.

"Ash has already begun to fall in Fljotshlid and people in the surrounding area have reported seeing bright lights emanating from the glacier," RUV said on its website.

"There is currently no sign of flooding, but it could be imminent according to experts," it added. "It is not clear exactly where the eruption is taking place but it is being investigated."

RUV later reported that the eruption had been limited to an area where there is little ice, reducing the threat of flooding. However it said this could change if the eruption spreads along the fault line.

It was reported there had been hundreds of earthquakes at the epicentre of the volcano earlier this month that could be felt in nearby towns.

A European volcanic island in the North Atlantic, Iceland is largely an arctic desert with mountains, glaciers and volcanoes and agricultural areas in the lowlands close to the coastline.

The volcano in the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier last erupted in 1821 and 1823.

Guzzling champagne, swigging beer and puffing cigars... how the Canadian women's ice hockey team celebrated winning gold

The morning after the night before can always be a sobering event.

But for Canada's women ice hockey players, the headache might last a lifetime.

The International Olympic Committee has decided to investigate a raucous party the women held on ice after their gold medal victory in Vancouver.

Fears are growing that they could be stripped of their medals for their distinctly un-Olympian efforts.

The women celebrated their 2-0 victory against arch-rivals America by guzzling beer, swigging from bottles of champagne and puffing on cigars.

Unfortunately, they chose to do it on the ice rink, in full view of the public and cameras, rather than in the changing room.

Even worse, star player Marie-Philip Poulin, 18, the youngest in the team and scorer of the two goals, is under British Columbia's legal drinking age of 19. Photos showed Poulin on the ice, with a beer in her hand.

Another player, Haley Irwin, poured champagne into the mouth of teammate Tessa Bonhomme while gold medals swung from their necks.

And one of the women, Rebecca Johnston, even tried to drive the ice-resurfacing machine during the party.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said he was unaware of the incidents until informed by a reporter.

'If that's the case, that is not good,' Mr Felli said. 'It is not what we want to see. I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values. If they celebrate in the changing room, that's one thing, but not in public.

'We will investigate what happened.' Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, said they had not provided the alcohol nor initiated the party.

In terms of the actual celebration, it's not exactly something uncommon in Canada,' he said, referring to the wild locker-room celebrations that are a tradition in some professional team sports.

'If these athletes were of legal age, then it's not something that's against the law,' he said, adding: 'We don't condone actions of irresponsibility.'

Trying to head off any more problems, Hockey Canada apologised and said the celebrations were the result of the 'excitement of the moment'.

Celebrating with booze is hardly unique to Canadian sports stars.

England's cricketers famously marked their 2005 Ashes victory by partying for at least 24 hours, while more recently Welsh rugby star Andy Powell celebrated a dramatic victory over Scotland by driving a golf trolley down the M4 - a stunt which got him dropped from the team.


The gold winning Canadian team enjoy a bottle of Champagne following the medal's ceremony

Canada's Rebecca Johnston rides on an ice surfacing machine as teammates celebrate their gold medal victory against the U.S.

On ice: The IOC has launched an investigation into the Canadian's exuberant celebrations

Dejected but dignified: Caitlin Cahow and Monique Lamoureux of the United States look on after receiving their silver medals

Haley Irwin of Canada celebrates winning the gold medal with a bottle of bubbly during the ice hockey women's gold medal game between Canada and USA

Haley Irwin and Meghan Agosta of Canada kneel on the ice and celebrate winning the gold medal with bubbly and beer

Haley Irwin and Meghan Agosta of Canada kneel on the ice and celebrate winning the gold medal with bubbly and beer

Causing a stir: Danish curler Madeleine Dupont, 22, has sparked controversy after posing topless for a charity calendar and, right, U.S. snowboarder Scotty Lago voluntarily left the games after an embarrassing picture of him with a fan circulated on the internet