Volcano Eruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo
From the Church of Christ in Congo, a Global Ministries partner
Beloved in the Lord,
A natural disaster has just struck our brothers and sisters of North Kivu following the volcanic eruption of the Nyiragongo, near the city of Goma on Saturday, May 22 in the evening.
Indeed, the eruption began without warning in the evening when the lavas began to escape from the crater and a smell of sulfur spread in the town of Goma on the shores of Lake Kivu.
This sudden volcanic activity caused human and material damage, of which here are some provisional statistics pending an evaluation of our development and diaconic services, (SEPRODDIA):
- 15 people died including 9 injured, 2 charred and 4 prisoners who are tempted to escape;
- More than 7,000 displaced people150 children are separated from their families;
- More than 150 other children are being sought for not finding traces;
- Several pregnant women are rushed to hospital due to suffocation due to lack of oxygen 17 villages including Buhene, Katoyi and Majengo were affected by the lava flow destroying homes and infrastructure as it passed;
- Three health facilities, a primary school, a slaughterhouse, and a water pipe were also affected.
More than that, it has been reported:
- The road of Rutshuru damaged, with the result of the food attic Goma cut off from the city several houses consumed and engulfed by lava in the Butare and Buhene neighborhoods;
- Many losses of goods and goods for small businesses in several neighborhoods;
- A few acts of looting have been reported. The power line of the Congolese Water and Electricity Distribution Corporation, the main source of electricity for Goma, is cut off.
This situation urgently calls for our gesture of solidarity to help and afford aid to the affected populations. This is why I appeal for solidarity to all the community members of the Church of Christ in Congo and to our partners.
“If we love each other, God remains in us and his love manifests itself perfectly in us” (1 John 4.12).
May peace and grace be with us all by Christ, our Lord and Save!
Rev. Dr. André BOKUNDOA-bo-LIKABE
National President and Legal Representative of ECC