Some have gone hungry for days

Some of the tremors were strong enough to knock down buildings that remained intact after three huge lava flows spilled from Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A senior UN official quoted by the French news agency AFP said the quakes had claimed several lives, while in neighbouring Rwanda officials said almost 300 buildings including schools had been destroyed.

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The lava destroyed more than 30% of Goma's residential areas and left about 300,000 people in need of help. Many of those who fled the eruption have now returned.

Vulcanologists say the eruptions are now over, but tremors are expected to continue as the magma settles. Some say the tremors may be a separate phenomenon, unrelated to the eruption.

	Lava pours from three fissures down the flanks of the volcano and engulfs 14 villages Lava then reaches Goma, causing widespread devastation Detailed map of the eruption and aftermath

Relief agencies have appealed for $15m to cover between one and two weeks of emergency aid for the victims.

Lorries loaded with blankets and plastic sheeting have already arrived in Goma and the UN has lined up two sites just outside the city to provide temporary shelter for the homeless.

Aid workers were forced to rethink their plans after most of Goma's residents returned to what was left of their homes, leaving the refugee camps hastily constructed in Rwanda almost deserted.

The UN emergency relief coordinator in Goma, Ross Mountain, said that despite years of war in the region the aid operation was not endangered by hostile forces.

Lake threat receding

Experts now believe there is no threat from poisonous gases in Lake Kivu, into which some of the molten lava has been flowing.

Resourceful Congolese are cooking meals on the hot lava

The ICRC said three of the city's pumping stations were working, but only 30% of the supply network was intact.

Much of the commercial centre of Goma is covered in lava, and the authorities have begun flattening one section with a giant bulldozer to open a road into a part of the city that was cut off by the eruption.

The International Rescue Committee assembled a water system in front of a church in Goma, while thousands queued to register for food aid.

Local resident Mwendi Kambale said his family was sleeping outdoors and had run out of food on Sunday.

"The food is arriving very slowly," he said. "I'm not happy because now I have no job, no home, no money and very few clothes."

The UN's food agency has begun distributing food in the town of Sake, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Goma, and in Bukavu, where many families sought refuge from the volcanic eruption.

Congolese officials and aid workers met on Tuesday to prepare plans for the eventual re-evacuation of Goma in the event of another major eruption.

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