About 40 endangered chimpanzees and other animals live in the area. But the country’s famous critically endangered mountain gorillas are said to be safe as they live further east.
Emmanuel de Merode, Virunga’s director, said that park staff were working with the civilian and military authorities to assess the risk and take appropriate action. Rangers were deployed to the area to monitor the flow of lava and were due to report back hourly, he added.
A government official, Feller Lutahichirwa, said observers were monitoring the situation with help from UN helicopters, the Associated Press reports.
Source: