Even before an official evacuation order was issued, thousands fled their homes in the city of about 2 million people.
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, but eyewitnesses say the lava has blocked a main road in the area and that it has reached the airport in the city. The glowing lava also flows into residential areas and has engulfed several houses.
The eruption began at 7 p.m. local time. Local authorities ask people to follow the messages from the civil defense. Shortly after the eruption began, power went out in large parts of the city.
– The dark evening sky shines with a red-hot skin, says a reporter who works for AFP in Goma
There is a strong mist of sulfur over the city, and volcanologist Dario Tedesco tells Reuters that he sees large amounts of lava flowing down from the volcano.
The last time Nyiragongo erupted was in January 2002, when hundreds of people died when large parts of eastern Goma were covered in lava and ash, and hundreds of thousands of people fled the city.
The deadliest outbreak occurred in 1977 when more than 600 people lost their lives.
The Goma region, located in the province of North Kivu and bordering Rwanda and Uganda, has six volcanoes that are all over 3,000 meters high.
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