GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 29 (Reuters) – A small eruption was detected on Saturday at a volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo but was not believed to threaten any inhabited areas, the government said.

The eruption at Mount Nyamuragira comes a week after the nearby Mount Nyiragongo erupted, killing at least 31 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Nyamuragira lies around 25 km (16 miles) north of Goma, a city of about 2 million people, but Mount Nyiragongo stands between them, creating a natural barrier.

“It’s not in a zone that’s inhabited and it’s not of a great intensity,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya told Reuters.

Nyamuragira is considered Africa’s most active volcano, erupting once every two to four years.

Nyiragongo’s eruption last Saturday sent a wall of lava rushing toward Goma before stopping shortly outside the city limits. Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes in the aftermath and in response to warnings of a possible second eruption this week. (Reporting by Fiston Mahamba, Stanis Bujakera and Hereward Holland Writing by Aaron Ross Editing by Frances Kerry)

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