Thousands flee over fears of fresh Congo volcano – KBC

Tens of thousand of people have fled the city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo again – due to fears of another eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano.

The governor of North Kivu province ordered the evacuation of ten districts of the city, saying an eruption could take place with very little warning.

At least 31 people are now known to have died when Nyiragongo erupted over the weekend.

Two significant cracks in the ground – several hundred metres long – have appeared in the city which is located just over 10 kilometres from the volcano.

Residents have been told to carry “the bare minimum to give everyone the chance to get on board” vehicles that will be provided by the provincial authority in each district.

“Return to homes can only be done on the recommendation of the provincial authority,” said Gen Costant Ndima, the military governor of North-Kivu region.

Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and making 120,000 homeless. The volcano’s deadliest eruption happened in 1977, when more than 600 people died.