Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, official says

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Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, official says

updated 9:38 a.m. ET, Sat., Jan. 2, 2010

KINSHASA, Congo - A government official says a volcano has erupted in eastern

Congo, sending lava toward a national park.

Feller Lutahichirwa said Saturday that the Nyamulagira volcano had erupted at

dawn. While the area where the lava was headed is sparsely populated, wildlife

officials say it is home to about 40 endangered chimpanzees.

Lutahichirwa says government observers are monitoring the situation with help

from U.N. helicopters.

The director of Virunga National Park says the eruption is " of great concern "

and that rangers have been deployed to monitor the lava flow.

Wildlife officials say fortunately no mountain gorillas are believed to live

near the affected area. Virunga National Park is home to 200 of the world's 720

remaining mountain gorillas.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.