Residents of an Icelandic town damaged by hundreds of earthquakes over the past few days were able to briefly return to their homes on Monday after being evacuated on Saturday, authorities said.

The southwestern town of Grindavik, home to around 4,000 people, was evacuated in the early hours of Saturday after magma shifting under the Earth's crust caused hundreds of earthquakes in what experts warned could be a precursor to a volcanic eruption.

The seismic activity damaged roads and buildings in the town situated 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of the capital Reykjavik, an AFP journalist saw. 

After waiting for hours in their cars, residents could enter their homes for just a few minutes to collect their belongings, with Icelandic police and civil protection vehicles on standby. 

"We ask everyone to take as short a time as possible," the country's emergency response department said in a statement, adding that it was limiting numbers to two people per vehicle.

An AFP journalist at the scene saw people filling their cars to the brim, with residents taking furniture, paintings and even sheep, and some locals angry at being filmed by journalists.

"We are a little bit desperate, a little bit paralysed and sad, actually. If you start to think about all the time and energy you have put in building up your home, it's just sad," Hans Wierer, a local resident, said on Sunday. 

Iceland, which has 33 active volcanic systems, has declared a state of emergency, with shelters and help centres opened in several nearby towns. 

"We have a fissure that's about 15 kilometres long, and anywhere on that fissure we can see that an eruption could happen," Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management agency, told AFP on Saturday.

Grindavik is on the country's southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, home to the Fagradalsfjall volcano.

Three eruptions have taken place near Fagradalsfjall, in March 2021, August 2022 and July 2023 -- all far from any infrastructure or populated areas.