Voices from the devastation

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- Dawn broke in Gisenyi, Rwanda, with the sound of hundreds of crying, hungry children.

Refugees bathed in the lake, the water putrid from the lava after the volcanic eruption over the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday.

There are now fears of a major humanitarian emergency in central Africa. The following are quotes from some of those affected and from volcano experts and aid agencies.

"Most of the town has been devastated. There are huge swathes of it buried under thick, dense black mud which is hardening like concrete. There are people scattered everywhere. There are literally thousands of people sleeping by the side of the roads. It is quite eerie. They look like piles of bodies. The worst thing is that this has happened to a country which is already suffering because of the effects of war." -- Alison Preston, an Australian aid worker with World Vision.

VIDEO Rivers of lava flow through the streets of Goma. CNN's Catherine Bond reports (January 19) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   YOUR SAY Your say: E-mail us your experiences    MORE STORIES • Mobile phones slow volcano relief  • Voices from the devastation  • Aid workers rethink efforts  • Congo crisis: How to help    EXTRA INFORMATION Interactive: Anatomy of a volcano  • Map: Goma lies in area prone to volcanic activity

"People are afraid but are still trying to cross the lava flows. Lava is like ice -- a crust forms on top, but if it cracks then people fall through and it can cause horrific injuries or even kill. But people are desperate to get back to their homes and see if anything survived. There has been a lot of looting and they want to save their belongings." -- Rob Wilkinson, Oxfam.

"There's nothing to eat. The government is saying nothing, the international community is saying nothing, we don't know what we're going to do... There's no markets, no shops, everything is gone" -- businessman Justin Mosala, 48.

"We are declaring a state of emergency and urge people not to return to their homes because of the losses" -- Adolphe Onusumba, head of the Rwandan-backed rebels controlling the Goma region.

"The earth tremors are continuing, getting very strong. Several cracks opened up in Gisenyi overnight, at least one house fell down" -- Fidele Mitsindo, governor of the Rwandan town of Gisenyi.

"There is no water, no food, no shelter. Some people are feeling sick because of the smoke. Children are hungry" -- Reuters Television cameraman Themis Hakizimana.

"People haven't had any food for more than a day now. There are many children separated from there parents in the rush to get out of the city" -- James Mathenge of the World Vision aid group.

"There are experts here, but this came without a word from the authorities. We should have been warned about this catastrophe" -- Justin Mosala, 48, gesturing at a mass of steaming rock slurry blocking Goma's main street.

"This is going to be a human catastrophe. We have to find them shelter, put them up in camps. There's no electricity, no running water" -- official from contingent of U.N. observers deployed in Goma as part of efforts to end a civil war.

"The water pumping stations are down, the electricity has been destroyed, so you've got a whole infrastructural piece you have to rebuild. We're working with UNHCR in setting up some camps on the outside of the towns. We're in safe zones we hope won't be reached by continued lava flows" -- Bruce Wilkinson, a spokesman for the aid group World Vision International.

"There is no food, no water, no sanitation. We are here like animals. (We are) afraid of dying. If we are to die, it is better to die in Congo, not Rwanda" -- " Richard Mwambo, a teacher who fled Goma and was preparing to board a dangerously overcrowded ferry to Bukavu, a four-hour trip down Lake Kivu.

"Although the lava moves quite fast going down the flanks, once on flat land it moves quite slowly so people can get out of the way if they have warning. It's the refugee problem created that's the big cause for concern" -- Brian Baptie, a volcano seismologist at the British Geological Survey in Edinburgh, Scotland.