The Nyiragongo volcano that looms over Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could soon wipe out the city, said a risk analysis report by volcano experts.
Provincial authorities in Nord-Kivu have prohibited public release of the report that recommends the city be moved to avoid the fallout of another volcanic eruption, possibly within two years.
”The risk of a new eruption of Nyiragongo is clear, with a 13% chance that the city would survive,” the report states.
In January 2002, 400 000 people were evacuated when a lava flow from the volcano destroyed almost 80% of the buildings in the city near the Rwandan border. More than 40 people were reportedly killed and the airport was demolished.
”It is absurd and surprising to suppress such information that, given in time, can help the population take useful steps,” a specialist said.
The 3 465m volcano has a two-kilometre wide crater with an active lava lake in the centre. With nearby Nyamuragira, it is responsible for about 40% of all volcanic activity in the continent.
Nyiragongo’s lava flows are extremely fluid, travelling at speeds up to 100kph an hour. An eruption in 1977 reportedly killed more than 70 people. – Sapa-AFP