Mount Nyamussagira Erupts in Dem. Rep. of Congo

[sharon sanders]

In the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted Mount Nyamuragira, reports Reuters.

Flows of lava moving to the Virunga National Park.

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Ranger patrols to monitor the progress of the lava mass.

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In 1998, the length of the lava flow was more than 10 km.


Mount Nyamuragira - one of the most active volcanoes in Africa.

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Scientists have observed more than 30 of its eruptions.


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[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Mount Nyamussagira Erupts in Dem. Rep. of Congo

Lava flows ravage national park forest in DRCongo

GOMA, DR Congo — Lava flowing from a volcanic eruption in eastern DR Congo was gathering pace and set to destroy up to 10 hectares (25 acres) of forest in Virunga National Park by late Sunday, vulcanologists said.

The Goma Vulcanological Observatory, which has been monitoring the eruption of nearby Mount Nyamulagira early Saturday, said the pace of destruction would increase as it hit steeper ground.

"From Monday, the speed will increase because the territory starts to slope whereas it had been flatlands before," the observatory's director Karume Katcho told AFP.

He said a 15 metre-wide swathe of lava "is burning the forest. We estimate that up to 10 hectares (25 acres) of the area will be burnt after today."
Officials said the eruption was concentrated in a sparsely populated area, though wildlife habitats were under threat.

The volcano stands 22 kilometres (14 miles) from the provincial capital Goma, which it last threatened in 2006.

Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and located on a chain of active volcanoes including Nyamulagira. It is home to around 200 of the world's last 750 mountain gorillas, but these are located further east of the volcano near the border with Rwanda.

The national park also contains large numbers other species, including elephants, hippopotamus and buffalo..

The ash and volcanic fibres from the eruption are harmful to animals as they can pierce their stomachs and intestines, but so far the chimpanzee population in the risk zone has not been affected, wildlife officials said..

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More news from BBC, incl link to video.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8437742.stm

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Mount Nyamussagira Erupts in Dem. Rep. of Congo

Source: http://www.africanews.com/site/DRC_Volcanic_eruptions_lead_to_disease_outbreak/list_messages/29104

DRC: Volcanic eruptions lead to disease outbreak
Posted on Wednesday 6 January 2010 - 13:00
Sanday Chongo Kabange AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia

Three days after a volcano erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lava is continuing to flow, leading to an outbreak of water-borne diseases. The volcano dubbed, Nyamulagira started erupting on Sunday.

It is in the Virunga National Park, which is home to 200 of the world's 720 remaining mountain gorilla. So far the lava flows have missed heavily populated areas.

But local health centres have already seen a rise in the number of people suffering from cholera and diarrhoea. This is due to people drinking poisoned water, contaminated by fallout from the volcanic eruptions.

The city of Goma lies just 35 miles away from the volcano. It is home to more than 600,000 people, its numbers swollen by refugees fleeing fighting between Government forces and rebels in the east.

Scientists fear it will eventually be destroyed by another nearby volcano, Nyiragongo.

When it last erupted in 2002, 300,000 people fled Goma, dozens were killed and thousands of homes destroyed.

City officials would like to move its inhabitants to safety to two towns 30 miles to the west. But few could afford the move with little resources to help them relocate.