Hundreds of people in rural Ethiopia, 165 kilometers northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, left their homes in panic as a nearby volcano showed signs of eruption, the local chief told the BBC’s Afaan Oromoo Service.
The smoke from Mount Dofan that started around 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Thursday was “burning and very high,” Sultan Kemil said.
In a video posted by the Ethiopian Geological Institute on its Facebook page, smoke and debris can be seen shooting from the mountain.
In recent weeks, there have been more than a dozen earthquakes around Awash Fentale – an earthquake-prone area in the Afar region of Ethiopia.
Abdu Ali, the senior manager of the Afar area told Ethiopian news channel FBC that the plan to evacuate people is ongoing to prevent injuries to the residents.
He was quoted as saying that there have been earthquakes that are increasing.
Tremors felt in Addis Ababa.
Shiferaw Teklemariam, of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, told Reuters news agency that although it is too early to rule out the incident as an explosion, the authorities were taking precautionary measures.
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