Dakar, Nov 24, (dpa/GNA) – The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia has erupted for the first time in thousands of years.
A cloud of ash rose to a height of 8.5 kilometres and drifted eastwards over the Arabian Peninsula, the EU Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) announced on Monday.
The airspace over Yemen and Oman was among the areas impacted.
Satellite images showed a large release of sulphur dioxide, the ECHO added. The volcano is located in the remote Afar region in the north-east of the country on the Horn of Africa, near the border with Eritrea.
According to the ECHO, around 9,000 people live within a 30-kilometre radius and could potentially be affected.
The Volcano Observatory in the French city of Toulouse said the eruption is now over, and the ash cloud continues to move towards Pakistan.
The eruption is considered to be the first documented activity of Hayli Gubbi in several millennia, and is being closely monitored by experts.
No further assessments of the possible consequences for local communities were initially available.
GNA