A volcano that had been inactive for approximately 12,000 years recently erupted, covering a village in ash and soot and startling residents with its explosive sound. This volcanic activity, the first in modern history for this specific volcano, emitted large ash clouds into the sky and coated the nearby village of Afdera in a layer of dust.

The eruption occurred at the Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region near the Eritrean border, lasting several hours on a Sunday morning. The ash clouds dispersed from the volcanic eruption extended beyond the country’s borders, reaching regions as far as the Red Sea, Yemen, Oman, and India.

Local resident Ahmed Abdela likened the eruption to a sudden bomb explosion, causing no casualties among humans or livestock thus far. However, many villages have been covered in ash, leading to a scarcity of food for animals.

The volcanic eruption has disrupted travel in neighboring countries and across continents. While Ethiopia, a major flight hub in Africa, has not canceled any flights, several airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa, and KLM, have taken precautionary measures by canceling flights due to the ash fallout.

As a result of the eruption, Air India canceled 11 flights on Monday and Tuesday, while Akasa suspended flights to Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi on the same days. The director general of the India Meteorological Department, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, noted that the volcanic ash cloud’s impact ranged between 8.5km and 15km above sea level, affecting satellite functions and flight operations temporarily. The ash cloud has already reached northern India and is expected to move towards China.

Skymet Weather, a private agency, expressed challenges in assessing the extent of volcanic ash contamination caused by the eruption due to the limited preparation time provided by the Hayli Gubbi volcano. According to GP Sharma, president of meteorology and climate change at Skymet Weather, the lack of preparation has made it difficult to determine the level of contamination caused by the volcanic eruption.

Predicting the dispersal time of the ash remains uncertain, with Skymet Weather stating the challenge in estimating the duration. However, the IMD forecasts that Delhi’s skies should clear of ash by Tuesday evening.