The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
At least 31 dead and thousands displaced after volcano eruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN Refugee Agency says
Hundreds of children are feared to be missing and thousands of people fled their homes after Mount Nyiragongo volcano erupted 12 km north of the town Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 22 May.
Speaking to journalists at the United Nations in Geneva, Boris Cheshirkov, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that “according to authorities, 32 people died in incidents linked to the eruption, including seven people killed by lava and five asphyxiated by gases”. Cheshirkov added that “led by the Red Cross, a significant effort is underway to reunite several hundred children who were separated from their families as they fled”.
The lava flow stopped on Sunday, but there have been repeated earthquakes since the eruption. The Mount Nyiragongo volcano, among the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes, last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and making more than 100,000 homeless.
Following a joint evaluation together with the government of the DRC and other humanitarian agencies to assess the damage on Sunday, UNHCR said that the volcano’s destruction path has been seen clearly.
“Two villages on Goma’s northern tip were destroyed and two others were almost completely covered by lava”, Mr. Cheshirkov said. “Our staff have heard testimonies from families who lost their homes, and from others who lost children and other loved ones. Entire neighborhoods have been left without any electricity and there are fears of water shortages”.
UNICEF reported that more than 150 children have been separated from their families amid the chaos and more than 170 children are feared to be missing. With water and electricity shortages, the children’s agency fears the risk of spreading cholera.
Another challenge is the destruction of the road which has led to the disruption of transportation of goods.
“The road leading to northern parts of North Kivu province is also damaged by lava, which will hamper the transport of food and goods to the area around Beni, where some 280,000 people displaced by conflict and insecurity since January 2021 rely on humanitarian aid”, UNHCR’s spokesperson said.
UNHCR is preparing to assist those in need of shelter and relef items in the Goma area in coordination with other UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, and in support of the government’s emergency response.
Mr. Cheshirkov stressed that “funding is urgently needed to help us assist those affected. UNHCR has received just 17 per cent of the US$204.8 million needed for our operations in the DRC”. UNHCR’s spokesperson added that “this latest disaster comes on top of the over 2 million people already displaced by brutal violence in North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital. This year alone, 450,000 people have been forced to flee their homes”.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Boris Cheshirkov, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “According to authorities, 32 people died in incidents linked to the eruption, including seven people killed by lava and five asphyxiated by gases. Led by the Red Cross, a significant effort is underway to reunite several hundred children who were separated from their families as they fled.”
- Medium wide shot, cameraman standing next to UNTV camera, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Boris Cheshirkov, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Two villages on Goma’s northern tip were destroyed and two others were almost completely covered by lava. Our staff have heard testimonies from families who lost their homes, and from others who lost children and other loved ones. Entire neighborhoods have been left without any electricity and there are fears of water shortages.”
- Wide shot, attendees sitting in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Boris Cheshirkov, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “The road leading to northern parts of North Kivu province is also damaged by lava, which will hamper the transport of food and goods to the area around Beni, where some 280,000 people displaced by conflict and insecurity since January 2021 rely on humanitarian aid.”
- Medium wide shot, attendee using listening device and attendee typing on phone, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Boris Cheshirkov, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Funding is urgently needed to help us assist those affected. UNHCR has received just 17 per cent of the US$204.8 million needed for our operations in the DRC. This latest disaster comes on top of the over 2 million people already displaced by brutal violence in North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital. This year alone, 450,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.”
- Medium wide shot, attendee typing on laptop in foreground and UNTV cameras to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- Wide shot, podium with speakers to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Gaza: Hospitals continue to overflow with people injured while seeking food - WHO
As besieged Palestinian civilians face widespread malnutrition and starvation, hospitals in the Strip are increasingly overwhelmed by the influx of victims of shootings and other injuries at food distribution areas, warns the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO , UNMAS
Urgent help is needed to halt a deadly cholera outbreak that is sweeping across Sudan, UN agencies said on Friday, while warning that communities continue to be terrorized by parties to the conflict even as they flee violence.
2
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News , Images | UNEP
Negotiations got under way at UN Geneva on Tuesday to agree on a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution, with delegates from nearly 180 countries attending.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: Hundreds of trucks per day of free aid needed “for months”, in addition to commercial supplies - OCHA
Despite the tactical pauses Israel introduced last week to allow some safe passage for humanitarian convoys, the amount of aid that has entered Gaza remains by far insufficient for the starving population, and UN trucks continue to face impediments on their way to delivering aid.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Aid agencies echoed wider warnings of growing signs of widespread starvation in Gaza on Tuesday, as UN-partnered international food security experts released their most dire assessment yet of the situation in the wartorn enclave.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNDP , UNHCR
Sudan: urgent help needed as more than 1.3 million war-displaced people begin to return home
As conflict rages on across parts of Sudan, pockets of relative safety have emerged in the past four month, spurring more than one million internally displaced Sudanese to make their way home, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A further 320,000 cross-border refugees have come back to Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, to assess the current situation before deciding to return to their country for good.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: SOS messages describe people fainting from hunger; UN health worker detained
Worrying alerts from United Nations staff in Gaza who have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours have increased fears for people’s survival in the devastated enclave, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNOG
Over 11.6 million refugees risk losing aid access due to funding cuts, says UNHCR
Approximately one in three refugees and other vulnerable individuals normally supported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) are expected to lose out from funding cuts, it said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, made the following announcement on the Office’s opening of a new mission in Bangladesh.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
“The surge in the number of Afghans forced or compelled to return to Afghanistan this year is creating a multi-layered human rights crisis requiring the urgent attention of the international community,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday called for accountability and justice for the killings and other gross human rights violations and abuses in the southern city of Suweida.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR
Syria: hundreds killed in Sweida, ‘widespread’ violations as civilians flee for their lives
Amid violent clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida governorate, a picture of grave human rights abuses and rising humanitarian needs is emerging by the hour, the UN said on Friday.