Ethiopian volcano erupts for 1st time in recorded history
No casualties have been reported.
A volcano with no recorded eruptions in the past 12,000 years has erupted, sending ash plumes toward Djibouti, Yemen, Oman, India, Pakistan, and India.
This is the first time the volcano, called the Hayli Gubbi, has erupted in recorded history. Located in northern Ethiopia’s Afar region, the Sunday eruption has civered the neigbouring village Afdera in dust, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
The eruption began at around 8:30 a.m. UTC on Sunday, the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) says. It lasted through to the afternoon, with ash plumes rising 13.7 km into the air. An 8:00 p.m. report issued by VAAC Sunday says the eruption has since stopped. VAAC confirmed the eruption after reviewing it on satellite imagery.
“While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash and as a result their animals have little to eat,” Mohammed Seid, a local administrator, told AP.
The Afar Rift is one of the most volcanically active areas in East Africa.
So far, there is no impact on air travel. VAAC plans to release additional updates as they become available.
Header image: Satellite imagery of Hayli Gubbi eruption. (simoncarn.bsky.social)