Democratic Republic of Congo hit with 61 earthquakes in 24 hours, civilians flee homes

As many as 61 earthquakes have jolted the Democratic Republic of Congo within the last 24 hours just a week after the long-dormant Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupted, prompting the civilians to flee their homes. On Saturday, the volcano’s crater continued to “collapse, which contributed to the earthquakes and caused ash emissions visible from” the city of Goma, the Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO) said in a report, as obtained by CNN. The observatory has been monitoring the volcanic activity in collaboration with the Belgian-Luxembourg consortium, AfricaMuseum, and the European Center of Geodynamics and Seismology. A group of 20 scientific experts has been created to monitor the situation. 

The recent volcanic eruption has caused several earthquakes, and tremors experienced as far as the Rwandan capital of Kigali and throughout the region. Saturday’s volcano outburst has killed nearly 31 people, as a possibility of four possible future scenarios for the volcano continues to linger, sources have told CNN.

Officials have also cautioned about a “worst-case scenario” in the report accessed by the network that states an eruption under Lake Kivu could emit toxic gas and cause debris to be sent flying into the air as a result of continued magma flow. The report warned that the lava flow might lead to severe asphyxiation outcomes as well as burns or death due to the impact. It additionally warned that “if lava erupts” in the river, residents should “keep a considerable distance away, as the explosions could produce dangerous ballistics.” 

[Tens of thousands of people are evacuating the city of Goma in eastern Congo. Credit: AP]

[Torrents of lava poured into villages after dark in eastern Congo. Credit: AP]

The report also cautioned about volcanic fumes and gas emissions becoming more frequent and the release of concentrations of lethal gas in the months ahead due to the increased underground magma. A spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, meanwhile stated at a press briefing that as many as 400,000 people have been displaced due to the volcanic eruptions that occurred yesterday, “Large traffic jams were observed yesterday on the main exit roads from Goma, people are moving in all directions, mostly on foot, carrying what they can, but also in cars, and on boats,” he said.

He added, “Forty-four percent of the 5 million internally displaced persons in the [Democratic Republic of Congo] is in North Kivu, where also 33 percent of the population is severely food insecure.” Furthermore, he said, that the crisis was happening “against the backdrop of a situation of already high needs in North Kivu." The military governor of Congo’s North Kivu province, Lt. Gen. Constat Ndima Kongba, has ordered the evacuation of 10 of 18 neighborhoods.

Indian Army facilitates evacuation

Earlier on May 22 when the Mount Nyiragongo volcano first erupted, the Indian army contingent led the rescue operations in Goma as part of United Nations missions. Forces facilitated a smooth evacuation and protection of civilians and other UN personnel in Volcano-affected Goma Town. The Indian Army has a significant presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of MONUSCO, a UN peacekeeping mission headquartered in the Eastern town of Goma and bordering Rwanda.