KINSHASA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 400,000 people were evacuated since Thursday from Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and its surroundings to travel to areas designated by authorities as a precaution against the risk of another eruption of the nearby Nyiragongo volcano.
The evacuation came after the province's military governor, General Constant Ndima, on Wednesday night asked residents of some neighborhoods in Goma to evacuate the area in the face of the risk of a fresh eruption.
Ndima warned about a possible fresh volcanic eruption following intense seismic activity in the city of Goma, at the foot of the Nyiragongo volcano in northeastern DRC, as well as in surrounding areas and neighboring Rwanda.
"Current data of seismicity and soil deformation indicate the presence of magma under the urban area of Goma with an extension under Lake Kivu," the governor said, noting that another eruption might occur with very little or no warning signs.
The authorities relocated the majority of Goma's residents to the city of Sake, while some other residents chose to cross the border into Rwanda's Gisenyi where the local government offers shelter for the affected people.
At a press conference in Kinshasa on Thursday night, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya stressed that the authorities were mobilizing to provide assistance.
The eruption of the volcano was reported on Saturday night on the outskirts of Goma. According to local authorities, the death toll rose to 32, while about 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Enditem
