Many people fled the town of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo due to a volcanic eruption ten kilometers away. Nyiragongo volcano emits fire, lava and smoke. A stream of lava is heading towards the city and has reached the airport on the outskirts of the city, according to a report by a volcanologist in Goma.
It was previously reported that most of the lava will flow east, and Goma is located south of the volcano. But volcanologist Dario Tedesco told Reuters news agency that an eruption of a second volcano was now also directing lava toward the city. According to a correspondent on the site from the German news agency DPA, residents are fleeing their homes on Saturday evening.
Evacuation order
Two million people live in Goma. Electricity was cut off in most parts of the city. Volcanologists in the area said earlier that there would be no danger to the city, but that many people have already fled to the border with Rwanda. The eviction order is valid, a government spokesperson confirmed on Twitter after an emergency government meeting. It is not known exactly what the emergency measures entail.
In eastern Congo, the situation has been unstable for a long time due to armed gangs moving around and fighting for control of raw materials.
The last time the Nyiragongo River erupted in 2002, more than 100 people were killed and part of Goma was destroyed. The deadliest explosion occurred in 1977, when more than 600 people were killed.
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