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DR Congo Volcano Leaves 22 Dead And Over 5000 Persons Homeless

DR Congo Sets Up Evacuation Plan For Another Imminent Volcanic Eruption
Volcano that erupted in DR Congo has left about 22 persons dead and rendered over 5000 homeless.

Gatekeepers News had reported that the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday ordered residents of the eastern city of Goma to vacate the area after a volcanic eruption at Mount Nyiragongo.

Government Spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, during a news conference, said not less than 10 villages have been ravaged by the eruption.

He said nine victims died in a road accident as people fled the affected area while two were burned to death by the lava.

Muyaya added that four prisoners were killed while trying to flee from prison.

Celestin Kasereka Mahinda, the scientific director of the Volcanic Observatory of Goma, said seven more people died after being exposed to poisonous gas while travelling in the area where the eruption occurred.

Electrical lines and water pipes were also damaged leaving more than 500,000 people without water or electricity, according to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

“There is the high possibility that these numbers would be revised upwards as further information is received,” Guterres noted.

DR Congo Volcano Leaves 22 Dead, Over 5000 Persons Homeless

Gatekeepers News reports that the circumstance has affected the movement of humanitarian personnel and those involved in United Nations peacekeeping efforts as well as government workers. It also affects the evacuation of those seriously hit by the catastrophe.

Over 5,000 residents of Goma fled to neighboring Rwanda on Saturday night, according to Local authorities.

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), said at least 25,000 people were displaced in Sake, a town some 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) northwest of Goma, DR Congo.

The UN agency added that about 150 children were separated from their families and 170 children are feared missing.

The lava flow had ceased by Sunday morning and people were slowly returning to destroyed or damaged houses.

On Monday, DR Congo government delegation visited Goma to support provincial authorities in the emergency response.

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