Powerful aftershocks from the Mount Nyiragongo volcano have rocked the eastern DR Congo city of Goma as the death toll from the disaster climbed to 32 and thousands were feared homeless.
Tremors were reportedly shaking the region every 10 to 15 minutes three days after Africa’s most active volcano roared back into life, spewing lava that reached the outskirts of the city.
Two rivers of molten rock flowed from the volcano at a height of 1,800 metres with one heading towards Goma, stopping at the very outskirts of the city.
It engulfed homes in its wake, smothering the surrounding area with suffocating gas and cutting off the road between Goma and Butembo, the main highway in North Kivu province.
Tens of thousands of residents fled in panic, many of them to neighbouring Rwanda, when the much-dreaded volcano began erupting on Saturday evening.
The lava flow stopped on Sunday, but there have been repeated earthquakes since the eruption and the lava lake in the volcano’s crater appears to have refilled, prompting fears of new fissures opening or another eruption.
Humanitarian groups estimate that between 900 and 2,500 dwellings were destroyed, he said, adding that this meant at least 5,000 people were without a home.
Reports have also said that many of these displaced people have started to return to Goma, with some coming back to the site of the disaster, near the lava flow.
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