The Democratic Republic of Congo continues to face the effects of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo a week after it erupted, with seismologists reporting 61 earthquakes in a 24-hour period on Saturday according to a CNN report.
A report by the Goma Volcanic Observatory, accessed by CNN, said the volcano’s crater “continues to collapse, which contributed to the earthquake and caused ash emissions visible from Goma.”
Mount Nyiragongo is located just 15km from Goma, which has a population of 670,000. At least 400,000 have fled the city after officials warned of a second eruption, which took place today.
The Murara volcano, near an “uninhabited area of Virunga” erupted today, according to a government spokesman. The region is home to a quarter of the world’s population of critically endangered mountain gorillas.
The first eruption led to the deaths of at least 31 people, and left hundreds missing. At least 13 died due to traffic accidents, as resident fled from a lava stream that was approaching the city. The International Organisation for Migration estimated 20,000 people were homeless.
Three villages and one Goma neighbourhood had been destroyed by the lava, which stopped just 300m short of the airport.
Another threat facing the people of Goma is that of a limnic eruption at the nearby Lake Kivu. Limnic eruptions are a phenomena where the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water could be released, potentially asphyxiating people and animals and making large areas uninhabitable.