Jabal al-Tayr YM - Reuters Video of the Aftermath of the Volcanic Eruption
Volcano Erupts off Yemen
(01:22) Rough Cut
Oct. 1 - At least eight Yemeni soldiers have been killed in a volcanic eruption on an island off the country's Red Sea Coast. The eruption occurred on Jabal al-Tair, an island about 80 miles (130 km) from Yemen. Yemen has had a military base on the island since its 1996 conflict with Eritrea over the nearby islands of Hanish and Jabal Zuqar. A Defence Ministry official said naval ships were searching the surrounding waters for nine missing Yemeni soldiers who were stationed on the island. The official said the western part of the island had "collapsed" following the eruption. Al-Arabiya television quoted witnesses as saying the island was engulfed in fire then disappeared. According to Yemen's Oil Minister, Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah, the volcanic eruption was triggered by a number of earthquakes which occurred on Sunday. A Yemeni geologist said the volcano previously erupted in the 18th and 19th centuries.
