• Source:JND

Ethiopia Volcano Eruption: In an extraordinary natural event not witnessed in millennia, Ethiopia’s long-silent Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted on Sunday, sending a towering plume of ash and smoke up to 14 km into the sky and drifting across the Red Sea toward Yemen, Oman, India and Pakistan.

The eruption, confirmed by satellite imagery from the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), has been classified as the volcano’s first known activity in nearly 10,000–12,000 years.

Villages Covered In Ash, Tourists Stranded

The eruption struck the remote Afar region, one of the hottest and most geologically active zones on the planet. The nearby village of Afdera, a hub for visitors headed to the Danakil desert, remained ash-covered on Monday, leaving several tourists and guides stranded.

Ahmed Abdela, a resident who witnessed the blast, recalled that the ground shook violently before the sky darkened. “It felt like a sudden bomb had been thrown with smoke and ash,” he said to AP, describing a shock wave that followed the explosion.

Local administrator Mohammed Seid also confirmed to AP that there were no casualties, but warned that thick ash carpeting grazing land threatens the livelihoods of livestock-dependent communities. “While no human lives and livestock have been lost so far, many villages have been covered in ash, and their animals have little to eat,” Seid told. He added that there is no previous record of Hayli Gubbi erupting

Ash Cloud Travels Across Borders

Satellite data showed the ash plume rising between 10 km and 15 km, carried eastward by high-speed winds of 100–120 km/h. Atmospheric sensors also detected elevated sulfur dioxide levels, indicating a significant explosive event.

The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program confirmed that Hayli Gubbi had no known Holocene-era eruptions, marking this as one of East Africa’s most unexpected volcanic awakenings.

Flight Disruptions Hit India–Gulf Corridors

The ash cloud triggered widespread flight cancellations as it drifted closer to India’s air routes.
• Akasa Air cancelled all international flights to Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi for November 24–25.
• IndiGo diverted flight 6E1433 (Kannur–Abu Dhabi) to Ahmedabad after ash threatened its planned path.
• Several carriers, including KLM, placed their West Asia operations on high alert.

Akasa said its decisions were driven entirely by safety, offering full refunds or complimentary rebooking.

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Volcanologists say the eruption offers an unprecedented chance to study how a volcano reawakens after thousands of years of silence in one of Earth’s least explored rift systems. Prof. Simon Carn, a leading volcanologist, confirmed online that the eruption has “no record in the Holocene”, making Hayli Gubbi a sudden new subject of global scientific focus.

ALSO READ: Ethiopian Volcanic Eruption: Several Flights Cancelled, Diverted As Hayli Gubbi Volcano Ash Moves Towards India

Images released by Afar’s regional authorities showed a tall, sharply defined ash column piercing through hazy skies—an eruption that scientists say could reshape understanding of volcanic activity within the East African Rift.


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