Ethiopian volcano erupts after 12,000-year dormancy

ADDIS Ababa, Ethiopia - A volcano in Ethiopia's northeastern region erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years, sending thick plumes of smoke up to 14 kilometers (nine miles) into the sky, the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) said.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia's Afar region about 800 kilometers (500 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted on Sunday for several hours.

The volcano, which rises about 500 meters 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.

The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program said Hayli Gubbi has had no known eruptions during the Holocene, which began around 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age.

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.

Flight cancellations

Meanwhile, Indian airlines Air India and Akasa Air said on Tuesday they were cancelling some flights after ash plumes from the volcano disrupted operations.

Air India said it had cancelled 11 flights on Monday and Tuesday to make precautionary checks on aircraft that had flown over some locations after the eruption, following a directive to airlines from India's aviation regulator.

Smaller peer Akasa said it had scrapped scheduled flights to Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi scheduled during the two days.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that only a few flights had been rerouted as a precautionary measure, and that the airports authority had issued a notice to all affected planes.

The ash cloud is moving towards China and is expected to clear Indian skies by 1400 GMT Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the ash had covered parts of Pakistan and northern India, according to tracking website Flightradar24, after crossing Yemen and Oman. — Agence France-Presse/Reuters