Residents flee in fear as Congo volcano erupts

The Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo erupted on May 22, sending panicked residents fleeing the area.

The Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo erupted on Saturday (May 22), sending residents of the nearby city of Goma into a panic and fleeing the area. But a volcanologist said the city of Goma does not appear to be in danger.

Reuters said that the volcano erupted after the red light over the city of Goma, panicked residents of Goma fled one after another to the border areas of neighboring Rwanda with their personal belongings.

Goma volcanologist Dario Tedesco told Reuters that the city did not appear to be in danger and that the volcanic lava appeared to be flowing eastward toward the Rwandan border. He previously said lava could be pouring into the city of Goma, but later said it would not.

A U.N. source said the U.N. sent a helicopter to conduct a reconnaissance and found that the lava did not appear to be flowing toward the city of Goma and other major towns.

Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002, when lava poured into the city of Goma, killing 250 people and leaving 120,000 homeless.

“The government is closely monitoring the situation in Goma,” a Congolese government spokesman said in a tweet, “and local government authorities are working with the Volcano Observatory in Goma to assess the situation. We encourage the population to remain calm.”