The Nyiragongo volcano erupted on Saturday. Now another outbreak is feared. The authorities react – and initiate a partial evacuation of the megacity of Goma.
Goma (AP) – For fear of an imminent renewed eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have ordered a partial evacuation of the megacity of Goma.
During the night, the military governor of the North Kivu region announced the evacuation of ten districts on the official TV channel RTNC. Lieutenant General Kongba Constant justified this with scientific data that indicated a renewed eruption of the volcano. There is also a risk that hot lava on the bottom of Lake Kivu could release toxic gases. The authorities would organize transport for the residents, they should only take the bare essentials.
Residents fled after the eruption on Saturday
After the volcano erupted on Saturday, residents left their homes in a panic and some of them fled across the border into neighboring Rwanda. Part of the lava had rolled towards Goma, but then stopped 300 meters from the border town’s airport. So far, 40 people are still missing, according to the UN Agency for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA). Around 20,000 people have become homeless.
The agency had pointed out ongoing tremors and clouds of ash the previous evening. The closure of the airports in the affected border town of Goma and the neighboring town of Bukavu made humanitarian aid more difficult. Three villages and a suburb of Goma were destroyed by the lava. The volcano is located in the Virunga National Park, about 20 kilometers north of the city – near the border with Rwanda. Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002. At that time, lava destroyed large parts of Goma. Around 250 people were killed and 120,000 left homeless.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210527-99-759232 / 4
