A volcano in Ethiopia erupted Monday, spewing ash and smoke that’s making its way to India.
Nov. 24 (UPI) — A volcano in Ethiopia erupted Sunday morning for the first time in at least 12,000 years.
The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the northeastern part of the country spewed ash and smoke, which also crossed the Red Sea and moved into the Arabian Peninsula toward Yemen and Oman. The ash cloud is likely to reach Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, India, on Monday night. The volcano is near the border with Eritrea.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Toulouse, France, advised planes flying in the area that ash had reached altitudes of 49,000 feet. The VAAC said the eruption has stopped.
Local officials said there were no casualties from the eruption, but that livestock herders in the area may be affected because of the ash, leaving grazing areas covered.
India is bracing for the effects of the ash cloud.
“The impact over cities will mainly be a marginal rise in the temperature. Similar to clouds, the minimum will rise. It is unclear whether it will impact air quality, but any significant impact is unlikely as it is at higher levels,” India Meteorological Department Director General M. Mohapatra told the Hindustan Times.
Indian airline IndiGo said it’s monitoring the movement of ash clouds from the eruption in a post on X. It said its teams are “closely tracking the situation in coordination with international aviation bodies” and are “fully prepared with all necessary precautions to ensure safe and reliable operations.”
Hayli Gubbi is a shield volcano, which is a broad, low-profile volcano that looks like a shield lying on the ground. Its summit is more than 1,700 feet and has a 650-foot-wide crater. It’s in the Erta Ale range, a chain of volcanoes in the Danakil Depression, which is where three tectonic plates come together.
