Ethiopia villagers flee volcanic activity 'in panic'

Hundreds of people in a rural part of Ethiopia, 165km (100 miles) north-east of the capital, Addis Ababa, have been leaving their homes in panic as a nearby volcano has been showing signs of a possible eruption, a local chief told the BBC's Afaan Oromoo service.

The smoke coming from Mount Dofan that began around 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Thursday "has a fiery plume and it's very high," Sultan Kemil said.

In a video posted by the Ethiopian Geological Institute on its Facebook page steam and debris can be seen shooting out from the mountain.

In recent weeks, there have been more than a dozen seismic events around Awash Fentale - an earthquake-prone area of Ethiopia's Afar region.

Abdu Ali, the chief administrator of the local area in Afar told Ethiopia's FBC news site that an evacuation process is under way to prevent harm to residents.

He is quoted as saying that there have been earthquakes that are getting "higher and stronger".

Tremors have also been felt away in Addis Ababa.

Shiferaw Teklemariam, from the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, told the Reuters news agency that while it was too early to classify the activity as an eruption, authorities were taking precautions.

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