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A volcano in north-eastern the Ethiopian region has erupted for the first time in approximately 12,000 years, sending dense plumes of smoke as high as 9 miles (14km) into the sky, according to volcanic observers.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region about 500 miles northeast of the capital Addis Ababa near the Eritrean border, erupted on Sunday for a number of hours.

This volcanic structure, which stands about 500 metres in altitude, resides within the Rift Valley, a area of significant tectonic movement where multiple tectonic plates converge.

Ash clouds from the eruption drifted over Yemen, Oman, the Indian subcontinent and northern Pakistan, observation agencies indicated.

Satellite imagery depicting ash from the Hayli Gubbi eruption in Ethiopia.

In videos circulated on online platforms, a thick plume of white smoke could be seen rising, though verification was not immediately available.

Global volcanism databases noted that Hayli Gubbi has had no recorded outbursts during the Holocene, which began about 12,000 years ago at the conclusion of the last ice age.

A volcanologist affirmed on a social platform that Hayli Gubbi “has no record of Holocene eruptions”.

Local officials have not yet responded regarding potential injuries or the count of displaced people.