KIGALI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Residents in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who fled to neighboring Rwanda following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano started returning home on Sunday morning while some are still in Rwanda, a Rwandan official said.

Their return was after they saw the flow of molten lava have lost intensity, said Gilbert Habyarimana, mayor of Rwanda's Rubavu district, on local radio.

About 3,500 DRC residents sought refuge in the border town Rubavu following the eruption of Nyiragongo on Saturday, Rwandan Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management tweeted around Saturday midnight.

Rwanda offered accommodation and emergency relief aid to the fleeing residents last night, and those still fearing to return home are free to stay until they are ready to go back, said Habyarimana.

Some DRC nationals are still accommodated in Rubavu, according to him.

Rwandan Minister of Local Government Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi and governor of Western Province Francois Habitegeko on Sunday morning visited DRC nationals who were hosted at a secondary school in Rubavu. Enditem

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