Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending ash clouds up to 14 kilometres into the sky. The ash drifted across the Red Sea, reaching Yemen, Oman, India and northern Pakistan, according to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC).
The volcano, located in the Afar region about 500 miles north-east of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted for several hours. Local official Mohammed Seid reported no casualties but said the eruption could have economic implications for livestock herders, as many villages were covered in ash, leaving animals with little to eat.
Resident Ahmed Abdela described hearing a loud sound and feeling a shock wave, comparing it to a bomb. Videos on social media showed a thick column of white smoke rising. The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program noted that Hayli Gubbi had no known eruptions during the Holocene, which began about 12,000 years ago.
The volcano, rising about 500 metres in altitude, lies within the Rift Valley, a tectonically active zone. Volcanologist Simon Carn confirmed on Bluesky that the volcano has no record of Holocene eruptions.
