KINSHASA:Nearly 400,000 people have been from Goma, capital of North Kivu provinc in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to safer areas designated over fears of another eruption of the nearby Nyiragongo volcano, according to authorities.
The evacuation came after the province's military governor, General Constant Ndima, on Wednesday night asked residents of some neighbourhoods in Goma to evacuate the area in the face of the risk of a fresh eruption, reports Xinhua news agency.
Ndima warned about a possible fresh volcanic eruption following intense seismic activity in the city of Goma, at the foot of the Nyiragongo volcano, as well as in surrounding areas and neighbouring Rwanda.
"Current data of seismicity and soil deformation indicate the presence of magma under the urban area of Goma with an extension under Lake Kivu," the governor said, noting that another eruption might occur with very little or no warning signs.
The authorities relocated the majority of Goma's residents to the city of Sake, while some other residents chose to cross the border into Rwanda's Gisenyi where the local government offers shelter for the affected people.
At a press conference in Kinshasa on Thursday night, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya stressed that the authorities were mobilising to provide assistance.
The eruption of the volcano was reported on May 22.
According to local authorities, the death toll rose to 32, while about 2,000 homes have been destroyed.