India, Nov. 25 -- A windborne cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Ethiopia traversed swathes of Northwest India on Monday night, crossing Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi-NCR and Punjab, hampering visibility and disrupting air traffic as it headed eastwards across the subcontinent.

The ash came from the Hayli Gubbi volcano, which erupted for the first time in nearly 12,000 years on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the altitude of the cloud-above 10 km-meant that air pollution levels in an already struggling Delhi, where it reached around 11pm, would not be significantly affected. IMD added the impact over cities in India was likely limited to a few hours, with the plume rapidly moving eastwards.

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