June 2, 2021
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Aid agencies say 350,000 people affected by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo are in need of urgent assistance.
Mount Nyiragongo erupted on May 22, turning the sky a fiery red and spewing lava into nearby villages. More than 30 people were killed.
Fears of a second volcanic eruption caused a mass exodus from Goma of most of its 450,000 residents on May 27. Around a quarter of that population fled to the neighboring town of Sake in the eastern province of North Kivu.
The U.N. refugee agency left behind a team of nine people in the area to evaluate the needs of the displaced. The agency and partners immediately began distributing plastic sheeting, water and other aid.