Tourists and gorillas 'safe' after DRC volcano eruption

Touristswho were near the crater the Nyiragongovolcanoin the Democratic Republic Congo erupted aresafe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said Sunday.

Nor were the rare mountaingorillasin the Virunga National Park threatened by theeruption, the institute added.

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"Thetouristspresent yesterday at the crater aresafeand sound", the institute, which oversees the wildlife sanctuary, said on Twitter, without indicating their numbers or nationalities.

The park, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, covers 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of tropical rainforest that is notably home to the world's biggest population of eastern lowlandgorillas.

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The Nyiragongovolcano, whose slopes of which dominate the city of Goma and Lake Kivu, erupted suddenly on Saturday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing in panic.

A vast river of molten lava came to a halt Sunday on the outskirts of Goma, sparing the city.

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The Goma region is a zone of intense seismic activity, with six volcanos, including Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira, which rise to 3,470 and 3,058 metres (11,384 and 10,033 feet) respectively.

Eruptions are frequent, not just from craters but from the sides of the volcanos.