On Saturday, seismologists in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 61 earthquakes in a 24-hour period near the Mount Nyiragongo volcano, which erupted a week ago, urging inhabitants to stay away from lava flows.
The sudden release of carbon dioxide from large water bodies can be disastrous. This is now the concern of residents near Lake Kivu after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo.
Six people were killed, including a woman who was burned alive, during an attack blamed on the regional militia group ADF in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Limnic eruption now threatens Goma in DR Congo
Friday May 28 2021
This handout satellite image released on May 25, 2021 by Maxar Technologies shows an overview before the eruption of the Mt Nyiragongo volcano near Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. PHOTO | MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES
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Orders on Thursday to evacuate Goma, a city lying in the shadow of DR Congo s Mount Nyiragongo volcano, have shed light on a rare but potentially catastrophic risk a limnic eruption, when volcanic activity combined with a deep lake can spew out lethal, suffocating gas.
The phenomenon first came to the world s attention in August 1984, when 37 people mysteriously died at Lake Monoun in western Cameroon.