Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday as officials warned Mount Nyiragongo could erupt again very soon.

Officials also feared that an eruption occurring under nearby Lake Kivu could release deadly clouds of carbon dioxide and methane into Goma and nearby towns.

(MORE: Congo City Empties Over Fears of Another Mount Nyiragongo Eruption and Deadly Threat in Lake Kivu)

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The military governor of Congo's North Kivu province, Lt. Gen. Constat Ndima Kongba, issued evacuation orders for 10 of Goma's 18 neighborhoods on Thursday.

Photos show residents escaping Goma via boats and ferries with what little belongings they could carry. Others fled by motorbikes and on foot, while traffic came to a standstill in the city as people left in cars.

Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted on Saturday for the first time in nearly 20 years, causing 32 deaths and destroying hundreds of homes.

The eruption sent a river of lava which engulfed hundreds of homes and sparked fires on the edge of Goma, a Congo city of 2 million. Reuters reported that 17 villages were affected by the lava, according to government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. The disaster destroyed three health centers, a primary school and a water pipeline. The lava also destroyed the main electricity supply line for Goma.

More than 200 aftershocks have shaken the city since the eruption, including magnitude 4.7 earthquake that struck near the border of Congo and Rwanda Tuesday morning, collapsing several buildings and stoking fears that Mount Nyiragongo is prepping for a large eruption.

The last major eruption hit the heavily populated Goma, killed hundreds and left 100,000 people homeless, CBS News reported, which added to the fear during Saturday's eruption.

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in the world. Its deadliest eruption was in 1977, and killed 600.

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