Health fears as killer DR Congo volcano spouts ash

Congolese volcanologists and rangers from the Virunga National Park climb down the slopes of the Nyiragongo volcano, north of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, on June 11, 2021. AFP

GOMA — The DR Congo’s Nyirangongo volcano has released large amounts of ash some two months after its eruption, sparking concerns for local residents’ health, experts said on Sunday.

The volcano in the far east of the vast central African country first erupted on May 22, claiming 32 lives and destroying hundreds of homes.

“The ash is the result of the collapse of part of the Nyirangongo’s central crater,” vulcanologist Muhindo Syavulisembo said in a statement.

Syavulisembo, who heads the Goma Vulcanology Observatory (OVG), however ruled out an imminent new eruption.

“There hasn’t been visible damage, but we fear respiratory and water-borne illnesses,” Samson Buunda, a local civil society representative, told AFP.

The eruption of Africa’s most active volcano displaced nearly 400,000 people, especially after May 27 when scientists warned of a potentially catastrophic blast underneath nearby Lake Kivu.