Goma, a city in Dr Congo was thrown into panic on Saturday evening as Mount Nyiragongo erupted. 

Aerial footage shows bright rivers of flowing lava from the volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A mass evacuation was launched in the city of Goma, which has a population of about two million people.

On Saturday, thousands fled during the night and many families slept on pavements surrounded by their belongings under a night sky turned red by fire and fumes. 

Officials said the lava had reached Goma city airport although residents said it had stopped at the edge of the facility.

Goma appeared relatively calm as dawn broke, but people said they are still wary. 

The volcano, located 10km (six miles) from Goma, last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and making 120,000 homeless.

There has been no official report of casualties during the latest eruption and it is unclear how many homes have been damaged.

On Sunday morning, Communications Minister Patrick Muyay tweeted to say the intensity of the lava flow had slowed and an assessment of the humanitarian situation was ongoing.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said he would “interrupt his stay in Europe to return home this Sunday to supervise the coordination of aid”.

In a May 10 report, the Goma Vulcanology Observatory warned that seismic activity around the volcano had increased and warranted careful monitoring.