Residents fear second volcanic eruption
Goma (DR Congo): The eastern DR Congo city of Goma was eerily deserted after nearly 400,000 of its inhabitants fled following warnings that nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano may erupt again.
The authorities geared up for a major humanitarian effort, centred on Sake, around 25km west of the city, where tens of thousands of people are gathered.
Located on the shore of Lake Kivu in the shadow of Africa’s most active volcano, the city has lived in fear since Nyiragongo roared back into life last weekend.
The strato-volcano spewed rivers of lava that claimed nearly three dozen lives and destroyed the homes of some 20,000 people before the eruption stopped.
Scientists have since recorded hundreds of aftershocks.
They warn of a potentially catastrophic scenario – a “limnic eruption” that could smother the area with suffocating carbon dioxide.
A report on an emergency meeting said 80,000 households – around 400,000 inhabitants – had emptied on Thursday after a “preventative” evacuation order.
Most people have headed for Sake or the Rwandan border in the northeast, while others have fled by boat across Lake Kivu.
Late Friday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said those fleeing needed “urgent, global support”.
Aid efforts are being organised to provide drinking water, food and other supplies, and workers are helping to reunite children who became separated from their families.
Nearly 10,000 people are taking refuge in Bukavu on the southern bank of Lake Kivu, many of them with host families, according to governor Theo Ngwabidje.