UPDATE 1 -- Flights in eastern Africa face disruption due to volcano eruption

[News_Editor]

UPDATE 1 -- Flights in eastern Africa face disruption due to volcano eruption

2011-06-14 02:28:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

(Eds: Experts now say the Nabro volcano, not the Dubbi volcano, erupted.)

ASMARA, ERITREA (BNO NEWS) -- A number of flights in eastern Africa are facing disruption after a volcano erupted in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea on early Monday morning, officials said. It is the first eruption in recent history.

The eruption at the Nabro volcano began at around midnight local time on Monday (2100 GMT Sunday), according to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in Toulouse. It sent a large plume of ash up to 13 kilometers (8 miles) high.

There were no immediate reports of casualties as a result of the eruption, according to the country's Ministry of Information, which said the explosive eruption could be heard throughout the region. A statement from the ministry said local residents have been evacuated.

VAAC forecaster Thoumieux said the ash cloud is moving towards the west and high concentrations of ash were spread over parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan by Monday evening. Low density concentrations of volcanic ash were also detected over a small part of Egypt.

Thoumieux said he had briefed a number of airlines and other agencies about the ash cloud, which is expected to impact air traffic in the region. "I had conversations with the chief of operations of Dubai (Emirates), Air France, KLM, and so they want information and I say, perhaps it will be dangerous for your planes," the forecaster said.

The volcanic ash cloud is expected to remain over parts of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan until at least early Tuesday morning. Low concentrations of volcanic ash are also expected to spread over a small part of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning, although those would unlikely impact air traffic.

Lufthansa spokesman Marco Dall'Asta said the airline had canceled two routes on Monday because of the ash cloud. "We have very few destinations within this area," he said. "But we have canceled a flight from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Asmara (Eritrea). This flight has been canceled for today. And we've also canceled a flight from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa, and that's all for the moment."

The German airline said it did not yet know whether the flight disruptions would continue on Tuesday. "That's the news we have for today," he said. "We are in contact, observing the situation, in contact with the authorities, to figure out what's happening tomorrow."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decided to cut short her trip to neighboring Ethiopia because of the eruption. The U.S. State Department said there was a risk that Ethiopian authorities would shut down the country's main airport in Addis Ababa on Monday evening, which would otherwise prevent Clinton from leaving.

The VAAC earlier believed that the Dubbi volcano was erupting, but the center said on late Monday evening that the eruption was in fact taking place at the Nabro volcano. There have been no confirmed eruptions at the volcano in recent history.

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