Volcano erupted near Goma in Congo

Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades on Saturday in the Congolese city of Goma. Panicked residents were trying to flee Goma when the eruption turned the night sky a fiery red and sent lava onto a major highway.

No immediate word on any casualties yet, but witnesses said lava had already engulfed one highway that connects the city of Goma with the city of Beni in North Kivu province.

The volcano’s last eruption was in 2002 when hundreds were killed and airport runways were covered with lava.

More than 100,000 people were evacuated, and they are now homeless in the aftermath of the eruption.

The government said an evacuation plan was being activated, but the official announcement came several hours after the eruption, and many had fled the city on bare foot with the hope of crossing the Rwandan border post just outside town.

More than 3,000 people have reportedly crossed the border to flee the city.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission, better known as MONUSCO, tweeted dramatic footage of the city alit, saying it was conducting reconnaissance flights over Goma where it maintains a large base.