Aftershocks from the Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DR Congo rattled the nearby city of Goma on Wednesday, four days after its eruption, badly damaging several buildings and prompting hundreds of residents to flee and the UN to relocate some of its staff.
The tremors were felt throughout the night. Two powerful shocks from Africa’s most active volcano caused terrified people to run out of their homes.
The seismic monitoring agency RSM in neighbouring Rwanda, whose border runs close to Goma, said it had detected a 5.1-magnitude quake at 5:46am local time, followed by a 4.1-magnitude tremor at 6:12 am.
The Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG) said that it registered more than 269 tremors between Saturday and Tuesday, with one measuring 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale.
Authorities shut down the market, shops and several building sites as a precaution.
Hundreds of residents began leaving the city again in the afternoon, heading south-west to the Masisi region or to across the border to Rwanda. And some headed to Goma’s port to take a boat to safety.
The UN said it was “relocating” non-essential staff, both national and international, out of Goma city. And many of the other international organisations and NGOs that have offices there were doing likewise.
The United Nations says 32 people have died and at least 5,000 are feared to be homeless after the volcano erupted on Saturday.