A volcano in Ethiopia’s northern Afar region erupted on Sunday, November 23, sending a large plume of ash into the atmosphere that has since traveled across several countries and caused flight cancellations in India and the United Arab Emirates. The volcano, Hayli Gubbi, had no known eruptions in approximately 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in France issued an advisory stating the eruption occurred at about 11:30 a.m. local time (08:30 GMT). The center reported that the volcanic ash plume rose to an altitude of about 45,000 meters (148,000 feet). No casualties have been reported in Ethiopia following the event.
Local officials in the Afar region have expressed concern for communities and livestock. Mohammed Seid, a local administrator, told The Associated Press that while no human or livestock deaths have been reported, many villages are covered in ash, affecting the availability of forage for animals.
One resident of the nearby village of Afdera, Ahmed Abdela, described hearing a loud sound during the eruption. He told the AP that the village remained covered in ash on Monday. Afar TV reported that vibrations were felt in areas as distant as the neighboring country of Djibouti.
The ash cloud has led to air travel disruptions far from the site of the eruption. Monitoring service Flightradar24 showed the cloud moving east across the Red Sea, over Yemen and Oman, and toward Pakistan and India. Volcanic ash contains abrasive particles that can damage aircraft engines and reduce visibility.
In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued advisories on Monday urging airlines to avoid affected airspaces, The Hindu reported. According to Reuters, Air India canceled 11 flights, and other carriers, including IndiGo, Akasa, and KLM, also canceled services as a precaution.
In Pakistan, the country’s meteorological service reported the ash cloud was observed south of the city of Gwadar on Monday, according to the newspaper Dawn. In the UAE, Gulf Air Arabia canceled several flights from Sharjah on Tuesday.
Hayli Gubbi is a shield volcano located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. It is part of the Erta Ale volcanic range in the Ethiopian Rift Valley.
