Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have urged residents of the eastern city of Goma to evacuate after a volcano overlooking the area erupted.
The military governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is the capital, confirmed the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano at around 7:00pm (17:00 GMT).
It is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and is considered among the most dangerous.
“The evacuation plan for the city of Goma has been activated,” Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya tweeted late on Saturday.
“The government is discussing the urgent measures to take at present.”
The presidency said President Felix Tshisekedi will cut short a trip to Europe to return to Congo on Sunday.
Nyiragongo’s last eruption in 2002 killed 250 people and left 120,000 homeless.
Al Jazeera