A long-dormant volcano in northern Ethiopia has violently erupted, propelling vast plumes of volcanic ash across the Red Sea towards the nations of Yemen and Oman.
Eruption Details and Immediate Impact
The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia's Afar region, roared to life on Sunday morning. The powerful eruption blanketed the neighbouring village of Afdera in a thick layer of dust and ash.
According to local administrator Mohammed Seid, who spoke with The Associated Press, there are no known records of a previous eruption from this volcano. He confirmed that, thankfully, no human casualties or loss of livestock have been reported so far.
Economic Fallout and Local Testimonies
Despite the absence of immediate fatalities, the event poses a severe threat to the local economy, which is predominantly reliant on livestock herding. "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," Seid stated, expressing grave concerns for residents' livelihoods.
A local resident, Ahmed Abdela, described the terrifying moment of the eruption. He reported hearing a loud sound accompanied by a shock wave. "It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash," he recounted. The Afar region is known to be seismically active and prone to earthquakes.
By Monday, the village near the popular tourist destination of the Danakil desert remained shrouded in ash. Abdela added that tourists and guides travelling to the desert were left stranded in the village due to the conditions.
International Confirmation and Official Response
The eruption was independently confirmed by the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in France, which observed the event via satellite imagery. Local authorities have begun to document the situation, sharing photos and videos that show a towering ash plume rising dramatically from the volcano.
