No threat beyond aviation from Ethiopian volcanic ash approaching Pakistan: PMD

Authorities continue to monitor situation to ensure safety of aviation and coastal regions along its projected path

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has clarified that no threats have been identified beyond aviation hazards following an ash cloud from a rare volcanic eruption in northeastern Ethiopia, which has drifted toward southern Pakistan after passing over Yemen and Oman.

According to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the cloud originated from the Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years. The eruption sent enormous plumes of smoke high into the atmosphere, casting large areas of the region into darkness.

In response, the PMD has issued an aviation watch alert. Domestic flights, typically operating around 35,000 feet, and international flights, flying between 40,000 and 45,000 feet, may face engine hazards from the ash cloud. Authorities are actively monitoring its movements.

The VAAC reported that the ash plume reached extreme altitudes, affecting airspace above southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and Pakistan’s coastal regions. However, the PMD stated that Karachi is unlikely to experience any direct impact. “Projections indicate the ash will mostly drift over the deep Arabian Sea, Oman, and the Mumbai flight region at around 50,000 feet,” a spokesperson said.

Earlier in the day, the cloud was detected 60 nautical miles south of Gwadar, prompting an active warning issued to relevant authorities. PMD spokesperson Anjum Nazeer Zaighum confirmed that the ash would remain far offshore while moving over the Arabian Sea.

BREAKING: Significant Eruption Reported in Afar, Ethiopia 🌋

Urgent reports this morning indicate a significant volcanic explosion in the Afar region, either at Ali Bagu (Amaytole) or possibly Erta Ale itself. Early information suggests the eruption may be located between… pic.twitter.com/ChwmyT9vDZ

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 23, 2025

Eyewitnesses in Ethiopia’s Afar region described the eruption as extraordinarily powerful. A local resident told The Addis Standard that the blast occurred eight kilometres from the volcano’s main mountain. Afar TV reported a “massive eruption,” noting that the force and sound of the blast were stronger than any previous events recalled by residents. Reports indicated that the sound and effects were felt as far as Djibouti, Tigray, and towns in the Wollo area.

Flight-tracking platform FlightRadar showed the ash cloud’s projected path at 3:31am, heading toward the Arabian Peninsula and the Arabian Sea. Pakistan lies directly in the cloud’s trajectory, with arrival expected in roughly 18 hours. Interactive VAAC mapping indicates that the ash could pass over southern Sindh before drifting northeast into India.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region about 800 kilometres northeast of Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted for several hours. Rising roughly 500 metres, the volcano sits within the geologically active Rift Valley, where two tectonic plates meet.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Programme confirmed that Hayli Gubbi had no recorded eruptions during the Holocene epoch, which began around 12,000 years ago. Volcanologist Simon Carn, professor at Michigan Technological University, corroborated the finding, stating that the volcano “has no record of Holocene eruptions.”

Authorities continue to monitor the ash cloud closely to ensure the safety of aviation and coastal regions along its projected path.