Volcanic ash from Ethiopia will not reach Egypt, national seismology chief tells et

CAIRO – 26 November 2025: Volcanic ash from the Hayli Gubbi eruption in Ethiopia poses no risk to Egypt and will not be observed over the country, the head of Egypt’s seismology department said on Wednesday.

In remarks to Egypt Today, Sherif El-Hady, Head of the Seismology Department at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, said the volcano is thousands of kilometres from the nearest point on Egypt’s borders.

He explained that current wind patterns are not directing ash toward Egyptian territory.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday for the first time on record, sending ash plumes up to 14 km (8.7 miles) high, Reuters reported, citing seismologists.

Ash clouds drifted across Yemen and Oman before covering parts of Pakistan and northern India on Tuesday, prompting Air India and Akasa Air to cancel some flights as a precaution, according to aviation tracking data.