A series of earthquakes and volcanic activity continues to disrupt the southern Afar and northern Oromia regions of Ethiopia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday evening.
WHO reported that the intense seismic activity first reported on January 4 near the Fentale and Dofan volcanoes in the Main Ethiopian Rift has persisted.
“The intense seismic activity that has been affecting the southern Afar and northern Oromia regions, near the Fentale and the Dofan volcanoes in the Main Ethiopian Rift, continues, WHO said in a statement.
Last Friday, the government of Ethiopia said it was evacuating over 60,000 people from high-risk areas to safer locations. The evacuations are taking place amid ongoing tremors in hilly areas experiencing rockfalls, near a site emitting ash since 2 January, and around a major dam.
Mount Dofen
Local media reports that while Mount Dofen volcano, which had erupted following the seismic activity, had stopped emitting smoke, lava continued to flow from the crater.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reports that, as of January 11th, at least two people have been injured as a result of the seismic activity.
The mass evacuation efforts have resulted in 51,456 people being registered and partially evacuated in Afar and another 20,325 in Oromia. Emergency shelters have been established to accommodate the displaced populations.
The seismic events have also caused significant damage to infrastructure, with 16 schools severely damaged and 21 partially damaged, the health agency adds.
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