Spectacular range smoke, ash and lava shot up in to the night sky last night from Africa’s most active volcano, located in  the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. Congo’s Centre for Research and Natural Sciences claimed in a recent statement that local residents, as well as the precious endangered mountain gorillas living in the park, are not threatened by the eruption.

Nyamuragira, which erupts about every two years, sits northwest of another active volcano in the park. During the past 100 years alone, Nyamuragira volcano has erupted more than 40 times, however during all this time few fatalities have been registered.

“A fountain of lava, smoke and ash came out of a fissure on the side” of a flat area east of the volcano, said CRNS researcher Dieudonne Wafula.

Ash could be carried some distance by the wind, potentially polluting water and burning crops, he warned.

AFP