Thousand Flee After DR Congo Volcano Warning

 

Now, as many as 400000 people have had to leave the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo over fears of another eruption from Mount Nyiragongo. That's according to the United Nations.  

The city looks like a ghost town. More than 30 people are known to have died when the volcano first spewed out lava at the weekend. And there are growing concerns about the number of displaced people. Roulston has this report.

Once again, thousands are on the move in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the evacuation of nearly a third of Goma's 670000 has been ordered, as authorities say Mount Nyiragongo could erupt again soon as word spread. Many more decided to leave.

Authorities have said the people should follow the routes and directions on where to go in the event of an eruption. They said people should leave without panicking so as not to cause death or accidents. But unfortunately, when people see some fleeing, they go because they're afraid.

And this is what they're fleeing last weekend, lava from the volcano destroyed countless homes and killed 32 people in its wake. The lava left nothing since then. Aftershocks have destroyed many more buildings in the city.

The rush to get out as cause long traffic jams as the city's infrastructure struggles to cope to avoid this. Others are leaving the city by boat. For these people who have already lost so much of the life they had. It seems their plight is not yet over.