AP reported evacuation of thousands of people in Ethiopia due to dangerous volcano activity

Thousands of civilians in a remote part of northeastern Ethiopia are being evacuated due to potentially dangerous volcanic activity. The Associated Press reported this on January 4, citing officials.

"The evacuation comes after steam eruptions from the long-dormant Mount Dophen volcano have been observed since Thursday (Jan. 2. - Ed.), raising fears of a volcanic eruption that could put many people at risk," the publication specified.

In addition, the agency said that volcanic mud flowing from Dophen has caused huge cracks in critical infrastructure, including major roads. Dozens of properties in the Afar region were severely damaged.

However, Atalay Ayele, a professor of geophysics at the Institute of Space Science Geophysics and Astronomy based at Addis Ababa University, noted that steam eruptions may not necessarily lead to a full-scale volcanic eruption.

Earlier, on December 23, 2024, it was reported that one of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea, had begun its next eruption. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the eruption began at 2:00 (15:00 Moscow time) on December 23. As a result of what happened, the danger level in the closed area of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was raised to the highest level.

The awakening of the Kilauea volcano was reported on June 4, 2024. It was noted that the eruption had a small volume and did not pose an immediate threat to people and infrastructure.