UN says 20,000 homeless, 40 missing volcanic eruptions in DR Congo | Earthquake Stories
More than 20000 people are homeless and 40 are still homeless after a volcanic eruptions In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has killed more people than any other earthquake in the vicinity of Goma, the United Nations has said.
Saturday’s blast was dispatched lava flows a steep slope down Mount Nyiragongo, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, but stopped 300 meters (984 feet) near the airport in Goma, the capital of eastern DRC.
The 1.5 million coastal city is lying about 12km (8 miles) from the eruption.
A cloud of ash from the blast has closed airports in Goma and Bukavu, and is expected to cause respiratory infections, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement Wednesday.
People who fled their homes have lost their valuables including motorcycles that were destroyed by lava or stolen, OCHA said.
The death toll from the blast rose to 32 Tuesday.
More than 200 small and medium earthquakes since then have caused cracks in homes and roads in Goma.
Cracks, about 60cm (2 feet) wide in some areas, have created panic among residents unaware of the accident.
“Yesterday was very small, here in front of my house, but today it has grown,” Susanne Bigakura, 65, told Reuters news agency. “It simply came to our notice then. We fear it may fall and our children may fall. ”
“It simply came to our notice then. Now, when we see a recent volcanic eruption, I worry that we are in danger, ”said Valentin Kikuni, a welder.
Some of the cracks opened in the streets, blocking traffic.
Fearing that their houses might collapse, many people sleep outside on mattresses, which they find comfortable under mosquito nets.
Citizens feel the same tremendous frequency throughout the night, with two powerful waves coming from the volcanic eruption in Africa that caused many alarms and alarming people to flee their homes.
Rwanda’s RSM earthquake agency, which borders Goma, has detected a magnitude 5.1 earthquake at 5:46 am (3:46 GMT), followed by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake at 6:12 am.
Authorities closed markets, shops and several construction sites as a precautionary measure.
On Tuesday, at least four houses collapsed in Goma, including a three-story house where eight people were critically injured, paramedics said.
Citizens who have fled the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo are waiting to register for political and business support in Goma [Guerchom Ndebo/AFP]
Volcanologists in the area have recorded hundreds of earthquakes since Nyiragongo’s return to life, including 119 alone, but say there is hope that the most feared volcano will be established.
Authorities who visited Goma on Monday announced a number of joint measures, including paying for the victims’ funeral, providing roofing, food and medical supplies, as well as counseling and emergency planning.
But the occupants remain funny. Hundreds are hiding in a Rwandan refugee camp, and many continue to flee there, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Emergency Services.
Boats carry hundreds of people from Goma to Bukavu, about 70km (43.5 miles) down the shores of Lake Kivu.
The 1.7km (1 mile) lava that blocked the main road north from Goma is still too hot to be removed, OCHA said, banning trade and aid to one of Africa’s most food-prone areas.
However, some work has begun on roadblocks, according to photos posted by the government on Twitter.
At a strato-volcano about 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) high, Nyiragongo passes through the division of the East African Rift tectonic.
Its last eruption, in 2002, killed at least 100 people.
