A volcano in northeastern Ethiopia has erupted for the first time in roughly 12,000 years, sending a massive plume of ash and smoke into the sky and across neighboring regions. The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in the Afar region near the Eritrean border, erupted on Sunday, marking a rare event in a geologically active part of the country.
The eruption lasted for several hours and produced thick clouds that rose as high as 9 miles, according to local reports. Ash drifted across the Red Sea and reached as far as Yemen, Oman, India and northern Pakistan, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre confirmed.
The volcano sits within the East African Rift Valley, a region where two tectonic plates meet, often causing earthquakes and volcanic activity. The area, located nearly 500 miles northeast of Addis Ababa, had not shown signs of eruption in recorded history. Still, researchers had long identified it as a dormant threat.
Concerns rise over local livelihoods and environment
Local official Mohammed Seid said no human or livestock deaths had been reported, but ash has blanketed several villages. He expressed concern over the fallout for communities that depend on livestock herding, as the ash has limited access to animal feed and clean pasture.
🇪🇹 For the first time in recorded history, Ethiopia’s Hayli-Gubbi volcano has erupted
A plume of ash rose 10–15 km into the sky and is moving toward the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, according to VolcanoDiscovery.
The awakening of Hayli-Gubbi is the first in observational… pic.twitter.com/GWrd8ljcec
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 24, 2025
Seid also noted that the Hayli Gubbi volcano had no documented activity in the past, increasing uncertainty for residents and authorities responding to the event.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program stated that Hayli Gubbi has no known eruptions during the Holocene epoch, which began about 12,000 years ago.
That assessment was supported by Simon Carn, a volcanologist at Michigan Technological University, who confirmed that there are no previous Holocene eruption records for the site.
Eyewitness accounts as the volcano erupts in Ethiopia
Residents described the eruption as sudden and intense. Ahmed Abdela, who lives nearby, said he heard a loud sound followed by a shock wave. He compared the experience to a bomb explosion, accompanied by clouds of smoke and ash.
Videos shared online appeared to show thick white smoke rising from the site, though the footage has not been independently verified by news agencies.
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