Eruption of Nyiragongo in DRC: Buhene, a village washed away by lava
Audio 01:19
Buhene, Nyiragongo territory, after the lava flow.
© Patient Ligodi / RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
According to the official report, the volcanic eruption of May 22 killed more than 30 people, more than 3,000 houses were destroyed, health centers and schools were also affected in Goma and its surroundings.
Among the affected neighborhoods, there is Buhene, on the edge of Nyiragongo territory.
The damage there is enormous.
Publicity
Read more
With our special
correspondent in Goma,
Patient Ligodi
Almost two weeks after the volcanic eruption, lava is still smoking in parts of Buhene.
The whitish vapor escapes from these forming rocks and the stifling heat invades the atmosphere.
Difficult to stay long in the area.
Almost half of the district was destroyed by the flow of these molten rocks.
Among the houses taken away, there is that of Faustin.
“
My house was where there is this pit that still gives off the flame.
I had a fenced house and cattle in the pen.
Everything is burnt.
I lost everything
, ”he testifies.
Apart from houses, schools have been razed to the ground.
“
There was the Patmos school, up there, everything is burnt down.
There was also the Mazingira hospital still up there, everything is gone.
According to Unicef, six schools were completely destroyed here in Nyiragongo territory.
For Faustin, the priority is to find a new home and what to feed his children on a daily basis.
“
We live like mice.
We are missing what to do.
Sometimes I benefit from the generosity of people who can give me either 500 Francs or 1000 Francs to feed my children
”.
The lava stretches for several kilometers.
This part of Buhene is completely unrecognizable.
Will the houses be rebuilt?
Will the population be relocated?
The authorities have not yet decided.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
DRC
Natural disasters