DRC's Nyiragongo volcano eruption forces thousands evacuate to city of Goma
23 May 2021
Mount Nyiragongo in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo erupted on Saturday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate the nearby city of Goma, per Reuters.
The state of play: Witnesses told AP that lava had "engulfed" a highway connecting Goma with the city of Beni and Reuters reports that lava has reached an area near Goma's airport, on the outskirts of the city, which has a population of about 2 million.
Goma residents leave the city following the volcanic activity on May 22. Photo: Guerchom Ndebo/AFP via Getty Images
- But the United Nations peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, which tweeted images from a reconnaissance flight over Goma, said late Saturday: "The lava does not appear to be heading towards the city ... We remain on alert."
- DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya tweeted Saturday night, "The evacuation plan for the city of Goma has been activated. The government is discussing urgent measures to take now."
Context: Lava from the volcano's last major eruption in 2002 flowed into the city, killing 250 and leaving tens of thousands more homeless, according to CNN.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.