Volcano erupts near Congolese city of Goma, turning skies fiery red; crowds flee towards north or Rwanda

Goma, May 22: A volcano erupted near the city of Goma in eastern Congo on Saturday evening, turning the skies a fiery red and panicking residents in this city of nearly 2 million people.

The Nyamulagira volcano erupted around 7 p.m. local time, according to Honore Chiraba, a volcanologist with the Volcano Observation Office in Goma.

However, there was confusion and fear, as the governor said it was the Nyiragongo volcano, whose last eruption in 2002 left hundreds dead and coated airport runways in lava.

Chiraba told The Associated Press that lava from the Nyamulagira volcano usually flows in the direction of the Virunga National Park, not toward Goma.