The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted earlier this week, overing nearby villages in dust, according to local media.

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, this was the first eruption of Hayli Gubbi documented in the last 12 000 years.

Satellite imagery showed an ash cloud drifting over the Red Sea.

No casualties had been reported, but officials warned that the ash could impact the livelihoods of local livestock owners, as it reduces available grazing vegetation.

–SABC–