Volcanic eruption: Lava flow stopped in front of Goma City

People who left their homes in panic returned Saturday night, and some fled across the border to neighboring Rwanda on Sunday morning.

Lava flow flows towards Juma

Part of the lava flow rolled towards Goma late on Saturday. Then the Rwandan authorities opened the border on Sunday night and allowed people to pass.

Volcanic eruption in the Congo

The active volcano is located in Virunga National Park, about 20 kilometers north of the city with two million inhabitants, and thus near the border with Rwanda. The volcano erupted on Saturday evening at around 7 PM local time (8 PM CEST). The head of the volcanic observatory in Goma, Celestine Mahinda, the state radio station RTNC, said that the pyroclastic flows have so far mainly flowed through parts of the national park. The park is Africa’s most biodiverse reserve and home to endangered mountain gorillas.

Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002. At that time, lava destroyed large parts of Goma. About 250 people have died in the outbreak, and 120,000 have been displaced.

(Quelle: What / Dpa)