Post date: Nov 14, 2011 2:18:1 PM
DR Congo's Nyamuragira volcano sends lava hundreds of metres into the sky, in its largest eruption of the century.
DR CONGO-VOLCANO - Africa's most active volcano is putting on quite a show for anyone who dares get close enough to see.
The Nyamuragira volcano, in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, is in the midst of what could be its largest eruption this century.
VOLCANOLOGIST, PROFESSOR TEDESCO DARIO, SAYING:"It is perhaps Nyamuragira's biggest eruption this century. The fracture runs about one kilometre, which is huge, and its lava fountains are reaching almost 400 metres high."
The town of Goma - with a population of more than 500,000 - is only a few dozen kilometres away. In just 2002, an eruption at a nearby volcano sent a kilometre-wide stream of lava through the city centre.
While volcanologists say the eruption doesn't pose any immediate threat to the local population, they are keeping a close eye on it.
VOLCANOLOGIST, PROFESSOR TEDESCO DARIO, SAYING:
"For the time being, the population of Goma and its surrounding areas should not worry. There is no current danger to the inhabitants, I would say the risk is nil."
Officials at the park are keen to make the most of the eruption, and say it is safe for tourists to visit the site.
The park is also home to one of the world's last remaining populations of mountain gorillas, and also has elephants, chimpanzees and hippopotamuses.
Travis Brecher, Reuters