Volcano Eruption Alert: Mt Nyiragongo Could Explode Imminently

Mount Nyiragongo Showing Signs of Imminent Eruption: Report

Rwanda Red Cross has warned Nyiragongo volcano could erupt at any time, according to a report.

Local researchers say the volcano has been showing increased signs of eruption since February 28, 2016.

The volcano is currently spewing lava and ejecting up to 50,000 tons of volcanic matter per day.

Mt Nyiragongo, a Decade Volcano, is a 3,470-meter high active stratovolcano in the Virunga Mountains. It is located in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the border with Rwanda. The two-kilometers-wide main crater usually contains a lava lake.

Nyiragongo 2002 Eruption

In a major eruption that began on January 17, 2002, lava flowed through the city of Goma, where some 400,000 residents had been evacuated.

However, the eruption killed about 150 people [the deaths occurred as a result of carbon dioxide poisoning and buildings collapsing due to volcanic earthquakes and the lava flow] and destroyed about a sixth of the city, leaving more than 120,000 people displaced.