At least 31 people are dead and more than 25,000 have been displaced after a volcano erupted Saturday night in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Government spokesman Patrick Muyaya confirmed the updated death toll in a statement Monday, adding it would probably rise as first responders are still searching for people
Seven people burned to death, three people died from smoke, and another two asphyxiated from volcanic gas, Reuters reported, of the eruption.
Nine people died in car accidents trying to evacuate the area, ABC News reported. Four of the people killed were inmates at Munzenze prison in Goma, who died trying to escape during the eruption. The death toll could rise in the coming days, as officials continue to inspect the destruction.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than 150 children have been separated from their families and more than 170 children are feared to be missing as people fled the city of Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, following Mount Nyiragongo’s eruption Saturday night.
According to UNICEF, more than 5,000 people crossed the border into Rwanda from Goma yesterday, and at least 25,000 were displaced in Sake, 25 km north-west of Goma,. However, most people are slowly making their way back home since the lava has stopped flowing this morning, UNICEF reported.
There is also concern about hundreds of people returning to Goma to find damaged homes and water and electricity shortages.
It is not yet clear how many households have been affected by the eruption in the Nyiragongo Territory, north of Goma.
Scores of children in the area near Goma’s airport have been left homeless and destitute. At least five deaths were directly related to the eruption in Buhene, Kibatshi and Kibumba.
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