Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi Volcano Erupts After 10,000 Years

A volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted on Sunday, marking its first activity in roughly 10,000 years and sending ash plumes high into the sky that drifted across the Red Sea toward Yemen and Oman.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in the remote Afar region about 800 kilometers northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, began erupting around 8:30 a.m. UTC. Explosive activity continued for several hours into the afternoon, producing thick columns of ash and smoke that reached altitudes of up to 14 kilometers, according to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center. Satellite imagery captured the towering plume, which blanketed nearby villages and created near-darkness in the surrounding area. Local authorities reported that the eruption has since subsided, though monitoring continues.

Residents in the Afar region described hearing a loud blast and feeling tremors that echoed as far as Djibouti, Tigray and towns in the Wollo area. In the village of Afdera, about eight kilometers from the main volcanic site, ashfall covered homes and livestock pastures, leaving herders concerned about their animals' access to food. Mohammed Seid, a local administrator, told the Associated...