In the past week, Ethiopia has experienced a series of earthquakes, with a total of 66 earthquakes reported within the last week. Six of these earthquakes were recorded as a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale. The largest earthquake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, was reported to have occurred in Ethiopia, specifically in the Abomsa area.

Residents reported feeling tremors from the earthquake as far as the capital city, Addis Ababa, making the event particularly significant. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at approximately 9:52 PM local time last night, causing widespread concern among residents.

Volcano Discovery highlighted that this is the first time in the past decade that Ethiopia has experienced an earthquake of this magnitude, emphasizing the unusual nature of the seismic activity in the region.

In the last 24 hours only, more than 5 earthquakes have been recorded in Ethiopia, with three of them rating above 5 on the Richter scale. Specifically, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck near Funtale at 2:01 PM, while a magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred at 11:27 AM local time.

In response to the recent earthquake activity, many residents have chosen to leave their homes and relocate to neighboring areas for safety, particularly from the Afar Region and Awash Fentale, according to reports from Addis standard.

It has been reported that more than 30 houses have been destroyed due to recent earthquakes in the Awash Fentale and Dulecha districts of the Afar region. Additionally, information from the scene indicates that the sugar factory in Dulecha district, where a large sugar factory is located, has been damaged by the earthquake.

Authorities also reported that many houses were destroyed and numerous schools in the area were heavily damaged. For instance, the Ungaitu school in Sabure Kebele, Awash Fentale district, has been severely damaged, and teaching has been suspended since yesterday, according to the Addis Standard report.

“A resident mentioned that similar earthquake events were observed in September 2024,” adding that the houses damaged at that time are now being completely destroyed due to the recent earthquake reoccurrence.

They also pointed out that many people, especially from Dulecha district, are fleeing from the wax sugar factory area to neighboring areas.