In late 2001, Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was growing restless. Plumes of smoke issued from the central crater, alarming volcan-ologists in the nearby city of Goma. Then, on 17 January 2002, lava fountained from a fracture on Nyiragongo's southern flank. The molten rock snaked down the sides of the volcano and razed the centre of Goma, engulfing houses and setting off a string of explosions at fuel stations and power plants. That evening, the lava streamed into nearby Lake Kivu, generating a plume of water vapour that clouded the area for days.
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