A long-dormant volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted unexpectedly on Sunday, sending a massive ash cloud across the Red Sea and into the airspace of Yemen, Oman and India, and prompting Pakistan to issue its first-ever volcanic ash alert.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in the Afar region, inactive for roughly 12,000 years, erupted around dawn, propelling ash and sulfur dioxide up to 46,000 feet, officials said.

The blast occurred nearly 800 kilometres from Addis Ababa, blanketing nearby Afdera village in thick layers of dust and ash.

Local administrator Mohammad Saeed told the Associated Press there were no casualties or livestock losses, but pastoral communities are bracing for economic hardship as grazing lands and fodder supplies have been coated in ash.

He said there is no historical record of the volcano erupting, leaving residents alarmed by the sudden activity.

Several villages have been entirely covered in ash, with animal feed running dangerously low.

Satellite images reviewed by France’s Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre confirmed the eruption and mapped the plume’s movement.

Carried by prevailing winds, the cloud drifted over Yemen and Oman before entering Indian airspace on November 24, the Times of India reported.

Indian civil aviation authorities have warned airlines of potential flight disruptions.

The eruption comes amid rising volcanic and seismic activity across the wider region, with experts calling for further scientific research to understand the causes behind the sudden shift.

Residents in the Afar fault zone, an area known for earthquakes and geological rifts, described loud underground explosions before ash surged skyward.

“It felt like a bomb went off,” said local resident Ahmed Abdilla.

“Smoke and ash rose straight up into the sky.”

Authorities said tourists and guides in the nearby Danakil Desert were temporarily stranded due to heavy ashfall, with images showing dense plumes stretching high above the landscape.

## Pakistan issues first-ever volcanic ash alert

Pakistan’s Meteorological Department (PMD) also issued an alert after detecting the ash cloud south of Gwadar, a private TV channel reported.

According to spokesperson Anjum Nazir, the plume was observed about 60 nautical miles off the Gwadar coast at an altitude of 45,000 feet.

“This is the first time the department has issued an alert regarding volcanic ash,” Nazir said, noting that such plumes can affect the engines of international flights passing through the region.