The search for a man who fell into a crack in the ground that opened up after a volcano erupted in Iceland last month has been called off.

Ludvik Petursson, 50, was working to fill crevasses formed by earthquakes and volcanic activity in the fishing town of Grindavik, which had been evacuated in November, according to local media.

Lava ‘inside town’; follow Iceland latest

He went missing on 10 January. Hundreds of people were involved in the search, which had to be stopped after a rockfall made conditions too dangerous.

“Unfortunately the man was not found,” police told Sky News.

Local police said Mr Petursson was a father of four and said he had two grandchildren.

The news emerged as Iceland suffered another volcano eruption – the second in less than a month.

Iceland eruption looks to be petering out – but whether residents will return to homes with lava at their door is another matter

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Nearly 4,000 people had already been evacuated from Grindavik after the first eruption in December.

But following a series of earthquakes, another fissure opened and began spewing lava nearby in the early hours of 14 January.

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