ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has clarified that there was no threat beyond aviation hazards following an ash cloud from a rare volcanic eruption in northeastern Ethiopia started approaching Pakistan.
According to reports, the ash drifted toward southern Pakistan after passing over Yemen and Oman.
The Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) said the cloud originated from the Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted on Sunday for the first time in nearly 12,000 years.
Ethiopia eruption
The eruption sent huge plumes of smoke high into the sky, casting large areas of the region into darkness.
The PMD has, however, issued an aviation watch alert, saying 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 the cloud movements.
The VAAC reported that the ash plume reached extreme altitudes, affecting airspace above southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and Pakistan’s coastal regions.
The PMD has, however, ruled out any direct impact of the ash cloud on Karachi. “Projections indicate the ash will mostly drift over the deep Arabian Sea, Oman, and the Mumbai flight region at around 50,000 feet,” a PMD spokesperson said.
Earlier on Monday, the cloud was detected 60 nautical miles south of Gwadar, prompting an active warning issued to relevant authorities.
The PMD confirmed that the ash would remain far offshore while moving over the Arabian Sea.
Eyewitnesses in Ethiopia’s Afar region described the eruption as extraordinarily powerful.
