Thousands have fled the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) when a river of boiling lava mercifully stopped on the outskirts of Goma on Sunday, saving the city in the east of the country from disaster.
Fire and strong fumes originated from the black-melted cliff when it engulfed houses, on its way to Goma Airport on Lake Kivu, says a correspondent from Agence France-Presse (AFP). But the military governor of northern Kivu province said the “city was spared” after “the lava stopped near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma.”
Five people were killed in accidents during the evacuations, said General Constant Ndima, who was appointed governor earlier this month when the province was placed under a “besieged state” to combat violence by armed groups.
“Several thefts from shops and an attempted escape from prisoners” from the city prison were reported, but “the situation is under control,” he said.
Thousands had fled during the night and many families slept on the sidewalk surrounded by their belongings under a night sky turned red by fire and fumes. About a dozen tremors were felt early.
Ndima said about 7,000 people had fled to neighboring Rwanda but had begun returning early on Sunday. Others who sought refuge in the southwestern Sasisi region “are also beginning to return to the city center,” he said. Goma seemed relatively calm at dawn, but people said they were still cautious.
“The situation seems to have calmed down at the moment,” said one resident. “But people are still scared. The authorities have still not made an official announcement so far this morning,” he added.
“It smells like sulfur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the rock,” a resident, Carine Mbala, told AFP.
Officials said the lava had reached the airport in Goma city even though residents said it had stopped at the edge of the facility.
“People are wondering if the volcano has stopped, or if it will continue, if the lava will reappear,” said one resident. Some cars were seen on the streets, but no police or military presence was visible.
“We are not convinced that the outbreak is over in just one day. We are waiting,” said one man.
On Saturday, Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya had said the government had activated an evacuation plan and was discussing the urgent measures to be taken at present.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi had said he would “suspend his stay in Europe to return home this Sunday to oversee aid coordination.” By early Sunday, between 5,000 and 7,000 people had arrived in neighboring Rwanda, according to the country’s national broadcasters.
The Rwanda Broadcasting Agency tweeted photos of those arriving in the Rubavu district but said early Sunday that the evacuees had already started going home.
“Right now, the Congolese who evacuated to Rwanda due to the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption are returning to their homeland. It seems that the eruption has stopped,” it tweeted.
The power was already cut off in large parts of the city when hundreds of residents began to leave their homes. Some went from the southern end of Goma to the nearby border post with Rwanda, while others went west towards Sake, in the neighboring Congolese region of Masisi.
Resident Richard Bahati said he was extremely worried about the eruption: “I lived through this volcanic problem in 2002.
“The volcano had destroyed all our homes and all our possessions. That’s why I’m scared again this time.”
Electricity was cut off in much of the city, with thousands of people – covered with mattresses, food and packages – on their way to the Rwandan border.
“There are many people on the road, many cars, it’s an escape,” a man with his family in his car told AFP. “It’s moving at a snail’s pace, on three or four lanes,” he said, adding: “There are children, women, old people who are on foot and the rain is coming. It’s complicated.”
Several planes, belonging to Monusco and private companies, took off in the evening, according to an airport source, and a local added that they had also seen the unusual night activity.
In a May 10 report, the Goma Vulcanology Observatory warned that seismic activity around the volcano had increased and warranted close monitoring.
The last time Nyiragongo erupted was on January 17, 2002, killing more than a hundred people and covering almost the entire eastern part of Goma with lava, including half of the airport’s runway.
During that outbreak, the victims were mostly sick or elderly abandoned to their fate in the northern districts with some looting as well.
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