The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in DR Congo, causing panic | Natural Issues
Power outages in Goma, where some people leave their homes and head for the border near Rwanda.
Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has erupted in an evacuation drive to the nearby city of Goma, although the volcanic expert said the city did not appear to be in danger.
Power was cut off from the city and some people began to leave their homes, heading for the border near Rwanda on Saturday.
North Kivu’s military commander, with Goma as its capital, “confirmed the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo … around 7:00 pm [17:00 GMT]”.
“Investigations are underway and people should follow the instructions of the security forces,” said General Constant Ndima.
Citizens carried a foul-smelling sulfur on the streets of the eastern town, located on the southern slopes of the mountain by the northern shores of Lake Kivu.
Dario Tedesco, a volcanic eruption expert in a coastal city of nearly two million, told Reuters news agency that Goma did not appear to be in danger, and the lava seemed to be moving eastward – toward the Rwandan border. Earlier he said he thought a lava could hit Goma, but later said it was not the case.
“I can see the springs exploding,” Tedesco told Reuters.
#RDC: The government is monitoring Goma’s situation, especially the Nyirangongo Mountains project. According to Patrick Muyaya, “government officials here are monitoring the situation in Goma, and a comprehensive consultation will follow.” pic.twitter.com/uCkuDAhL8h
– Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala (@StanysBujakera) May 22, 2021
Translation: “The government says it is monitoring the situation in Goma, especially the Nyiragongo Mountains project, according to Patrick Muyaya. [a Congolese politician], ‘government officials here are monitoring the situation in Goma, the details are detailed,’ “journalist Stanis Bujakera said on Twitter.
The Nyiragongo erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and leaving 120,000 homeless after the eruption in Goma.
The Watchtower eruption has raised concerns that volcanic eruptions over the past five years in Nyiragongo estimate that the 1977 and 2002 eruptions.
Volcanologists at the Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG), which oversees Nyiragongo, have been struggling to make a check since the World Bank cut off funds in the midst of fraudulent activities.
Steam and molten rock are being photographed in the tropical Lake Nyiragongo, a volcano located in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo [File: AFP]
