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GOMA. — Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo over fears of another volcanic eruption.

Local authorities have said Mount Nyiragongo could erupt once again with little warning.

The volcano, 10km  from Goma, spewed lava over the weekend, killing 32 people and leaving thousands homeless, the UN says. Thousands fled then but some residents had started returning.

The area has been rattled by more than 200 aftershocks which have destroyed several buildings, while two cracks several hundred metres in length have appeared in the ground.

Tremors have also been felt more than 90km away in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Ndima Kongba, the military governor of North Kivu province, ordered the evacuation of nearly a third of the city’s residents on Thursday, saying magma had been detected underneath Goma and nearby Lake Kivu.

“Right now we can’t rule out an eruption on land or under the lake,” Mr Kongba said, ordering 10 districts of the city to evacuate.

“It is very important to stay away from the lava flows, because of the danger of death from suffocation or burns,” he said.

As well as the risks from lava and earthquakes, there are also concerns that seismic activity could destabilise a huge methane bubble trapped under Lake Kivu. — Reuters.