Goma City Volcano Nightmare Account

By Grace Matsikoin Goma, DR CongoIn Goma, it is like a dream, residents returning to the devastated city say of what has befallen them.“I couldn’t help it but shed tears as I saw my car rise atop the house but only to come down when the house was already consumed by fire, it died there,” Francois Etumba, 34, of Majengo, a Goma suburb, said.For Emanuel Kambale, 57, of Kirimanyoka, another suburb, said his elderly mother, Florentine, failed to cope with the speed of the ravaging lava and perished in it as she fled.Remains of charred buildings, cars, household items and clothes were part of the visible items covered in a dark heap of soil that dominates about 80% of the land once occupied by the populous city.The Rwanda army has deployed heavily in the city to stave off looters and infiltration by the Interahamwe militiamen roaming the countryside.By 5:30pm yesterday, about eight tremors were experienced in the area and as far as Kigali.Residents said the tremors have rocked the area since Thursday. Ends