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DR Congo: Thousands flee Goma after second volcano warning

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Thousands have fled Goma – some by ferry – since the government’s evacuation order

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo over fears of another volcano eruption.

Local authorities have said Mount Nyiragongo could erupt once again with little warning.

The volcano, located 10km (six miles) from Goma, erupted over the weekend, killing 32 people and leaving thousands homeless, according to the UN.

The city was largely spared and some residents had started returning.

But it has since been rattled by aftershocks and two cracks spanning several hundred metres in length have appeared in the ground.

On Thursday Ndima Kongba, the military governor of North Kivu province, said magma had also been detected underneath Goma and nearby Lake Kivu.

Tremors have also been felt as far away as the Rwandan capital, Kigali – which is more than 90km away.

“Right now we can’t rule out an eruption on land or under the lake,” Mr Kongba said on Thursday.

He said there were other risks associated with the interaction of magma and water in the lake, such as the emission of potentially dangerous gases.

Ten districts of the city under evacuation orders are at possible “lava exit points,” Mr Kongba added.

“It is very important to stay away from the lava flows, because of the danger of death from suffocation or burns.

“People should take the bare minimum with them, to make sure everyone has a chance to get on,” he said. “The evacuation must be carried out calmly and without haste.”

“My God keep us safe,” he concluded in his statement.

Goma residents inspect a large crack in the ground caused by aftershocks of last weekend's eruption

Large cracks have appeared in the ground caused by aftershocks of last weekend’s eruption

Authorities have arranged for people to be transported to the city of Sake, around 20km west of Goma.

Thousands are also making their way south-west towards the border of neighbouring Rwanda, according to AFP news agency. Others are leaving the city by ferry.

Rivers of molten rock streamed from Mount Nyiragongo during its eruption on Saturday, setting houses and forest alight on the edges of Goma – a lakeshore city where around 670,000 people live, according to UN estimates.

One stream of lava stopped close to Goma’s airport, the main hub for humanitarian aid operations in the east of the country.

The UN’s children’s agency, Unicef, said it had rescued 530 missing children who were separated from their parents during the eruption.

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the world’s more active volcanoes, but there were concerns that its activity had not been properly observed by the Goma Volcano Observatory since the World Bank cut its funding amid allegations of corruption.

In a report on 10 May, the observatory warned that seismic activity had increased.

Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupts over Goma

Last week’s eruption lit up the night sky around Goma and destroyed hundreds of homes

Congolese communities walking across lava flows in Kibati, North of the city of Goma, in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, 25 May 2021

Magma from last week’s eruption has already scorched many local farms and villages.

Last year, the observatory’s director, Katcho Karume, told the BBC World Service’s Science in Action that the volcano’s lava lake had been filling up quickly, increasing the chances of an eruption in the next few years. But he also warned that an earthquake could trigger a disaster earlier.

Before last weekend, Mount Nyiragongo’s last major eruption was in 2002. It killed 250 people and left 120,000 homeless. Its deadliest surge happened in 1977, when more than 600 people died.

Map of Goma

Map of Goma



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