Ethiopia announces the evacuation of 20,573 people after a series of earthquakes

Ethiopia announced evacuations on Saturday after a series of earthquakes shook the country on Friday and Saturday.
The earthquakes were concentrated in the Afar, Oromia and Amhara regions after months of intense seismic activity.

Ethiopia earthquakes

The government stated that these earthquakes are increasing in size and frequency, explaining that it has sent experts to assess the damage.
She indicated that 20,573 people were evacuated to safer areas in Afar and Oromia, out of a total of more than 51,000 people at risk, according to the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Committee.
The committee explained that plans are underway to transfer more than eight thousand people in Oromia in the coming days.

Danger of earthquakes in Ethiopia

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center, the magnitude of the last earthquake was 4.7, and it occurred before 12:40 noon (09:40 GMT) at a distance of about 33 kilometers north of the town of Metehara in Oromiya.

These earthquakes damaged homes and threatened to spark a volcano on the extinct Mount Dovan near Seginto in the Afar region (northeast).
Its nozzle stopped emitting smoke, but nearby residents left their homes in panic.

Volcanic tremors and eruptions

Experts say that the tremors and volcanic eruptions are caused by the expansion of tectonic plates under the valley.
Because of Ethiopia’s location, earthquakes are common, along the Great Rift Valley, one of the most seismically active areas in the world.