Volcano erupts in Congo, causing residents to flee

A volcano erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday causing residents of the city Goma to flee their homes.

The volcano,Mount Nyiragongo, erupted for the first time in almost 20 years, spewing ash into the sky and releasing lava onto a major highway, according to The Associated Press. 

The wire service reported that there has been no evacuation warning by authorities for the city of two million people, and it is unclear at this time if there have been casualties or injuries related to the explosion. 

Originally the Goma Volcano Observatory reported that the eruption was caused by the Nyamulagira volcano, eight miles away. The observatory mistakenly thought the lava was flowing towards Rwanda and not Goma, according to AP.

The eruption comes a month after La Soufriere volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and displaced over 20,000 people.

An Icelandic volcano erupted for the first time in 800 years in March drawing crowds of people to the southwestern part of the country to watch the lava flow.