Congo conflict masks deadly volcano threat

A general view of a permanent lava lake in the Mount Nyiragongo volcano's crater, 25km (16 miles) from Goma, April 29, 2009. REUTERS/Celestine Kasereka/Observatoire Volcanogique de Goma via IFRC/Handout

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Eleven years after an eruption of Mount Nyiragongo devastated the sprawling lakeside city of Goma, killing hundreds of people, eastern Congo's armed conflict is preventing scientists from predicting the volcano's next deadly explosion.

With its plume of ash and steam reaching high into the sky, the brooding Nyiragongo is one of the world's most active volcanoes and a constant menace to the city of 1 million people, whose streets are still scarred by solidified lava.