First time in 12,000 years: Ethiopia’s silent volcano erupts, blasting smoke 14km into the sky

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 25 — A volcano in Ethiopia’s north-eastern region erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending thick plumes of smoke up to 14 kilometres (nine miles) into the sky, the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) said.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region about 800 kilometres north-east of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted on Sunday for several hours.

The volcano, which rises about 500 metres in altitude, sits within the Rift Valley, a zone of intense geological activity where two tectonic plates meet.

Ash clouds from the volcano drifted over Yemen, Oman, India, and northern Pakistan, the VAAC said.

In videos shared on social media, which AFP could not immediately verify, a thick column of white smoke can be seen rising.

Simon Carn, a volcanologist and professor at the Michigan Technological University, confirmed on Bluesky that Hayli Gubbi “has no record of Holocene eruptions”.

Afar authorities have not yet responded to AFP inquiries about possible casualties or the number of displaced people. — AFP

[Source: Malay Mail]