Kristijan Iličić | Kristijan Iličić on Facebook

May 24, 2021 – Famous Croatian travel writer Kristijan Iličić was on a dangerous volcano in Congo just before it erupted and said nothing, there was no indication the giant was waking up.

As Jutarnji List reports, news of the eruption of one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Nyiragongo, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has traveled the world with spectacular photos of lava flowing down the mountain. As a result, an emergency evacuation of residents of the nearby town of Goma was ordered, causing thousands of people to flee their homes.

But just a few hours before the giant Nyiragongo awoke, our famous travel writer Kristijan Iličić was at the top. Additionally, Kristijan spent the night before the eruption on top of the volcano, descended from the mountain, and boarded the plane almost at the last minute when lava threatened the airport itself.

Kristijan Iličić | Kristijan Iličić on Facebook

“I am currently in the Republic of Congo. The Nyiragongo volcano is located in the DRC, near the city of Goma, and I flew with Ethiopian Airlines to this other Congo after the eruption”, explains Kristijan, explaining that people confuse sometimes the two Congos.

He says he came to DR Congo to see mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park.

“As we were heading towards the national park, we must have been in a convoy of armed rangers because it is one of the most dangerous areas in the world”, explains Kristijan, recalling that the rebels killed the Italian ambassador Luca Attanasi and a policeman there. February of this year.

“It’s a red zone, and there has been war there for years, so we have to go in protected convoys. This is no joke, and the rebels are everywhere. I went there to see mountain gorillas, I saw them, and it was an amazing experience. After two days, I headed to the summit of Nyiragongo volcano, located in Virunga National Park. I climbed the crater itself, which is 3,500 meters high. I spent the night there and observed closely this volcano which is the most active and one of the most dangerous volcanoes – at least, they say – in the world ”, explains Kristijan, who did not know how to the time that was only a few hours from the eruption.

“This volcano also has the largest lava lake in the world which is constantly boiling and really looks spectacular, especially at night. I slept in a cabin right next to the crater and in the morning I drank coffee right by the lava lake. After that I started to descend because I had a flight to Ethiopia and then to Congo. Although it was only a few hours before the eruption, there was no indication that the volcano would wake up. We got off the mountain and got on the plane really at the last minute, ”says Kristijan.

The Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga National Park, located less than 20 kilometers north of Goma and not far from the border with Rwanda, erupted on Saturday evening. The lava also headed for Goma, which has a population of around 2 million, but stopped before reaching the city.

Residents who left the city and fled to Rwanda began returning home on Sunday morning. Rwandan authorities have relaxed border restrictions to allow residents of Goma to pass.

Most of the lava passed through the national park, Goma Volcano Observatory chief Célestin Mahinda told state radio RTNC.

The Nyiragongo volcano last erupted in 2002, when lava destroyed large parts of Goma. About 250 people were killed and 120,000 people were left homeless.

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