Earthquake Hits Near Mount Nyiragongo Volcano in Congo, Increasing Worries of Second Eruption

An earthquake in the boundaries between Rwanda and Congo pulled down buildings in the city of Goma on Tuesday and increased fears that the volcano close by would erupt again three days after dozens of lives were taken and 17 villages were destroyed by lava.

The 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake

The quake was measured at 5.3 magnitude, the measurement was taken by the Rwandan Seismic Monitor, and was the largest of several tremors that accompanied the eruption on Saturday of Congo's Mount Nyiragongo volcano, one of the most active and dangerous in the world. The United Nations' children's agency said: "We are aware that children got injured when a building collapsed on Tuesday just some steps from the in Goma's UNICEF office."

The earthquake seemed to have destroyed some buildings in the city of two million, and an observer revealed a minimum of three people were rescued from the rubble and carried to the hospital. The quake took place at 11:03 a.m., originating in Rugerero sector in western Rwanda, as stated by the Rwanda Seismic Monitor, which is controlled by the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board.

Effects of Earthquake

In the last day, numerous cracks in the earth have surfaced in Goma, although businesses have re-started across the city, and life seemed to be largely going back to normal for those their homes weren't lost. The United Nations has said around 1,000 houses were destroyed and over 5,000 people displaced due to the eruption.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said: "According to the authorities, 32 individuals lost their lives in incidents related to the eruption, seven individuals were also killed by lava flow and five others suffocated by gases." The lava stopped flowing a few hundred metres short of the city limits, but destroyed 17 villages on its way, cut the main supply of electricity and blocked the main road, preventing aid deliveries to one of the places in Africa that is the most food insecure.

Movement Restriction

The lava lake in the crater of the volcano seems to have refilled, increasing fears of new opening or another eruption, UNHCR said. A volcanologist Dario Tedesco who is based in Goma said on Monday he was afraid the tremors could open another fracture.

The government said a 1.1 mile (1.7 km) extension of road linking Goma to the north of the province was filled with lava, restricting the movement of people and goods to a region where some 280,000 people have been displaced since January by fighting and conflict.

The U.N. said the re-opening of the road would take days and that it was asking for authorization from the government to start re-using Goma airport. After lava came within 300 metres (yards), the hub for aid relief for the east of the country was shut down.

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