The UN’s children’s agency, Unicef, says it has rescued 530 missing children who were separated from their parents in the wake of Saturday’s volcanic eruption in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Around 500 houses were flattened following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, which lies just north of Goma.
“We managed to find about 530 children who separated from their families and fortunately we have been able to facilitate reunification of 360 children back with their parents,” said Unicef chief field officer in Goma, Jean Metenier.
He said there was panic when the eruption started on Saturday night and about 25,000 people moved out of areas that were most affected.
Sifa Ombene, 32, was out selling food when the eruption happened.
She rushed home but found that two of her children had fled.
“I went everywhere looking for them, I even went to the hospital morgue, they showed me bodies of dead children,” she said as she cuddled her four-year-old daughter Elea.
“I am so happy to find them here.”
