November 24, 2025, 3:53 p.mNovember 24, 2025, 4:51 p.m
The ashes can be seen from afar.Image: keystone
The Hayli Gubbi volcano has erupted in Ethiopia for the first time in thousands of years. An ash cloud rose to a height of 8.5 kilometers and drifted eastwards across the Arabian Peninsula, the EU Center for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) announced.
The volcano is located in the remote Afar region in the northeast of the country in the Horn of Africa, near the border with Eritrea. According to ECHO, around 9,000 people who could potentially be affected by the eruption live within a 30-kilometer radius.
No reports of fatalities
According to the local administration, there were no fatalities or property damage in the eruption. However, the surrounding villages were covered with ash so that cattle could not graze. The people there, who mainly live from nomadic livestock farming, are threatened with food shortages. Afar is one of the poorest regions in Ethiopia. The population there is repeatedly exposed to natural disasters.
Volcanic ash over Yemen and Oman
The ash cloud also affected, among other things, the airspace over Yemen and Oman. Yemen’s internationally recognized government said volcanic ash had reached various parts of the country, including the port city of Hudaydah and the city of Ibb. The responsible authority in Oman announced that they were monitoring the situation, but had initially not found any increased levels.
According to the volcano observation center in Toulouse, France, the ash cloud continued to move towards Pakistan. The eruption has ended. Experts are watching closely. Satellite images showed a large release of sulfur dioxide, as ECHO also announced. The eruption is considered the first documented activity of the Hayli Gubbi in several millennia and is being closely monitored by experts. However, several volcanoes are active in the region. There are also frequent earthquakes there. (sda/dpa)