Thousands of people have been evacuated in the Democratic Republic of Congo over fears of another eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano.
The governor of North Kivu province ordered the evacuation of ten districts of the city, saying an eruption could take place with very little warning.
At least 31 people are now known to have died when Nyiragongo erupted last weekend.
Houses were destroyed and Rwandan authorities have said about 3,000 people had officially crossed from Goma.
Cracks measuring hundreds of metres long have appeared in the city which is located just over 10 kilometres from the volcano.
The governor has asked residents to carry “the bare-minimum to give everyone the chance to get on board” vehicles that will be provided by the provincial authority in each district.
“Return to homes can only be done on the recommendation of the provincial authority,” said Gen Costant Ndima, the military governor of North-Kivu region.
Mount Nyiragongo last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and making 120,000 homeless. The volcano’s deadliest eruption happened in 1977, when more than 600 people died.
Source: Africafeeds.com
