A volcano on Jazirt Mount al-Tair or Jabal al Tair island has erupted off the coast of Yemen, spewing lava and ash hundreds of metres into the air and tens of people are missing at Red Sea.
According to the Reuters, Ken Allan, a Navy spokesman, said a NATO fleet just outside the territorial waters of the island Jazirt Atta-Ir reported seeing a "catastrophic volcanic eruption" at 7 p.m. local time.
"At this time, the entire island is aglow with lava and magma as it pours down into the sea. We do not have confirmation of how many people were on this island at the time of the eruption," Allan said in an email to the Canadian Press.
Yemen's Oil Minister Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah said several earthquakes felt on Sunday (September 30), had triggered the eruption.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, had flew to nearby Hudaidah port to observe the situation. It was learned that the Canadian frigate, HMCS Toronto, had been conducting a search and rescue operation at the request of the Yemen coast guard.
The 2-mile-long Jazirt Mount al-Tair island where Yemen has had a military base since its 1996 conflict with Eritrea over the islands of Hanish and Jabal Zuqar, is about 70 miles off the coast of the country. Below is a video named Yemen Volcano Video uploaded by Maria5186 to Revver