ADDIS ABABA - A LONG-DORMANT volcano has erupted in Eritrea sending clouds of ash over parts of east Africa, disrupting air traffic and forcing US chief diplomat Hillary Clinton to cut short a trip to Africa.
The eruption of the Dubbi volcano sent a plume of ash up to 15km into the air, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said, disrupting air traffic in Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia, and threatening further disruptions in the region.
German airline Lufthansa said it had cancelled two flights to the region and a senior US official said Mrs Clinton was leaving the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for fears of being stuck there by the ash cloud.
The official said Mrs Clinton and her delegation were leaving 'because the ash cloud is moving towards Addis and it could cover the city... for an indeterminate length (of time).' An AFP reporter confirmed her plane had departed at about 10pm local time (1900 GMT, 1am Singapore time). Mrs Clinton was supposed to have stayed in Ethiopia until Tuesday afternoon as part of a tour of African nations.
The eruption, which began at 2100 GMT on Sunday and was continuing late Monday, was 'significant' according to Jean Nicolau of French weather service Meteo-France, which houses the VAAC's operations for southern Europe and Africa.
'Based on satellite images we are seeing, the volcanic ash is reaching altitudes of 13 to 15 kilometres', he said, adding: 'We are not in a critical situation like with the Icelandic volcano Grimsvotn, which concerned a very busy air traffic zone, because the traffic is much less important' in east Africa. The eruption was the volcano's first since 1861. -- AFP
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20jun -
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