Nyiragongo: Shocking images of a sudden eruption of a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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- BBC News World
image source, Thierry Vallis / Getty Images
Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is usually climbed by tourists who want to contemplate the lava lake located in the crater.
Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on Saturday afternoon.
As red smoke filled the air and rivers of lava flowed down the hillside, fears began to spread that the deadly tragedies of the past would be repeated.
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has ordered the evacuation of the city of Goma, in the east of the country and on the border with Rwanda.
image source, Reuters
Lava engulfed everything in its path.
image source, Getty Images
The eruption began around 7 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT) on Saturday.
image source, Getty Images
About 3,500 people arrived overnight in the Rwandan city of Rubavu, located near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lava reached the city’s airport early Sunday morning. “The situation is deteriorating,” an official from Virunga National Park, where the volcano is located, told his staff.
The power grid suffered from a power outage In vast areas, lava swallowed the road connecting Goma to the city of Beni.
There was also earthquake reports.
Its two million inhabitants had to leave everything behind in a mass eviction, Despite the passage of time, some residents were able to return to their homes.
Much of the city was saved.
image source, Getty Images
“It smells of sulfur. You can see giant flames rising from the mountain,” resident Karen Mbala told AFP.
image source, Getty Images
During the early hours of Sunday morning, many residents crossed the nearby border into Rwanda, while others headed for higher ground west of the city.
The last volcano was located 10 kilometers from Goma, and it last erupted in 2002.
Then it killed 250 people and displaced 120 thousand.
At the moment, the authorities have not published an official record of the victims of this explosion, and it is not clear how many homes were damaged.
image source, Getty Images
The red sky turned red after the eruption of the volcano and can be seen from the border in Gisenyi, Rwanda.
Nyiragongo is an active volcanic stratum with a height of 3,470 meters In Virunga National Park, About 10 kilometers north of Goma and Lake Kivu.
Virunga National Park, established in 1925 under the name Albert National Park, covers an area of 7,800 square kilometers and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The park employs approx 500 Rangers Fighting poachers and illegal coal producers.
image source, Getty Images
Virunga was the first national park in Africa.
image source, Thierry Vallis / Getty Images
Virunga National Park has two active volcanoes, Nyiragongo and Nyamurajera.
“The lava flow stopped at about 4:00 am in Bohini (a town outside Goma), in Nyiragongo province.
The Ministry of Communication and Information confirmed via Twitter, “Since the early hours of this morning, residents have returned to their homes in the neighborhoods they left at night.”
image source, Getty Images
In daylight, the damage became more noticeable.
image source, Getty Images
Upon returning, some found ashes only in the place where their homes were.
image source, Getty Images
Many homes were destroyed in the north of the city.
Areas on the outskirts of Goma that residents “must be resettled”, Tom Per-Costa, the regional spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council for Central and West Africa, told EFE he was in town.
“People who fled to Rwanda are already returning but The great ruin is that they found their homes “And the same for those who fled to Sake,” Prince Badjika, a resident of Goma, told Eve by phone.
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