Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano has been dormant for thousands of years – now it has erupted. There appeared to be no casualties or damage. A kilometer-high ash cloud moved from the Horn of Africa across the Arabian Peninsula.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted in Ethiopia for the first time in thousands of years. The ash cloud rose to a height of 8.5 kilometers and drifted eastward from the Horn of Africa across the Arabian Peninsula, the European Union’s Center for Humanitarian Assistance and Civil Protection (ECHO) said.
This approximately 500 meter high volcano is located in the Rift Valley in the remote Afar region near the border with Eritrea. According to the Smithsonian Research Institute in Washington, the mountain has been dormant for about 12,000 years – since the end of the Ice Age.
The volcano is located in the remote Afar region in the northeast of the country, near the border with Eritrea.
There were no reports of casualties
According to ECHO, around 9,000 people living within a 30 kilometer radius could potentially be affected by the eruption. According to the local government, there were no casualties or property damage in the eruption. However, the surrounding villages were covered in ash so livestock could not graze.
The people there, who mostly live from nomadic livestock farming, are threatened with food shortages. Afar is one of the poorest regions in Ethiopia. The population there is repeatedly affected by natural disasters.
Volcanic ash covers Yemen and Oman
According to the volcano observation center in Toulouse, France, the ash cloud drifted across Yemen, Oman, India and northern Pakistan. The outbreak has now ended.
The eruption is thought to be the first documented Hayli Gubbi activity in several millennia and is being closely watched by experts. However, several volcanoes are active in the region. In addition, earthquakes occur repeatedly there.
