Mount Nyiragongo Eruption 2025.
Mount Nyiragongo Eruption 2021: Located in the Virunga Mountains, which are made up of the Albertine Rift, Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano that is a natural wonder. It is 3,470 meters high. Nonetheless, it is located within the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, which is also bordered to the west by Rwanda, around 12 kilometers north of Goma town and Lake Kivu.
Virunga National Park in Congo offers visitors a variety of amazing activities, including chimpanzee tracking, hiking Mount Nyiragongo, gorilla trekking, and nature walks.
The main crater of the volcanoes is two kilometers wide and typically contains a lava lake. Furthermore, the crater is made up of two separate cooled lava benches inside its walls, one of which is roughly 3,175 meters high and the other of which is about 2,975 meters high.
According to history, Mount Nyiragongo has been erupting since 1882. However, on Saturday, May 22, 2021, an unexpected eruption took place. Since it was a typical day, they never anticipated that this synchronicity would occur, but at 6 p.m., tremendous pressure pressures caused the lava to flow outside, pouring out into various villages and regions.
In addition to continuing to flow eastward to Kisenyi on the Rwandan side, the lava also proceeded to flow westward to “Saka,” a food location 20 kilometers from Goma. Millions of people had to relocate as a result of this catastrophe.
Although many lost their properties and more than 30 people perished, millions of people were able to flee as the lava flow was estimated to be moving at a speed of only one kilometer per hour. The residences and buildings in the Buheme district on Goma’s northern side were destroyed when the lava finally ceased.
Even nevertheless, the lava continued to flow, not just to the neighboring villages but also into the city and even to the Goma International Airport on the city’s south side. The built-up area of the city and the airport were later found to be untouched.
Many people have fled to neighboring countries from Goma crossing into Rwanda in search of safety as a result of the Nyiragongo eruption.
The consequences of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo
Tens of thousands of people fled the neighboring nations as a result of this eruption because of the possibility of other eruptions.
Although the precise number of deaths linked to the lava has not been reported, the eruption caused a number of fatalities. Many have lost their houses and are now homeless.
In addition to destroying a trading center called “Sake,” where the locals used to do business and purchase food, the lava also damaged over 17 villages, including Majengo, Buhemi, and Katoyi.
Additionally, it had an impact on people’s businesses; the lava flow devastated schools, hospitals, and water supplies. Additionally, the government has closed several schools until the problem is resolved, and the destroyed hospitals pose a serious threat to the nation because they are the places where many people hurt by the lava flow must be taken, and there are other dangerous health facilities located farther away from Nyiragongo.
Numerous transportation infrastructures, like as the road connecting Goma and Bunagana, Uganda, were devastated as a result of the lava flow. The road was divided in two by the lava that resulted from the eruption, making it dangerous to travel to and from Uganda and Congo via the Banagana border.
The traffic collision that occurred when individuals were shifting in an attempt to get help and save their lives was the cause of death. Many youngsters were homeless after losing their parents.
