The death toll linked to the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano on Saturday in the northeastern province of North Kivu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 32 and it is likely to further rise, DRC authorities said Monday.

Among the victims, nine were burned to death when lava hit their homes, and five died from inhaling smoke or toxic gas when walking across the cooling lava, said Joseph Makundi, head of civil protection of the province.

Another 14 people were killed in a truck rollover accident while four other victims were prisoners trying to escape the Munzenze central prison in Goma, capital of North Kivu, added the official.

A government delegation arrived in Goma on Monday to assess the situation and provide humanitarian, health and security services.

Although the lava flow has stopped short of Goma, seismic movements are still noticeable, causing cracks in local households. 

"They're multiplying and they come at any moment," one resident was quoted as saying by AFP news agency, describing the aftershocks as "very worrying."

Several strong aftershocks were also felt in neighboring Rwanda on Monday, including a 5.1-magnitude earthquake under Lake Kivu in the Rubavu district at 0837 GMT, the Rwanda Seismic Monitor (RSM) said. 

The agency said the tremors were being "produced by vibrations generated by the movement of magma within the volcano."

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the world's most active and dangerous volcanoes.

Thousands of people have been left homeless since its eruption on Saturday and most of the displaced have fled toward Sake or across the DRC's eastern border into Rwanda. 

Around 8,000 people from the DRC have come to Rwanda seeking refuge, authorities in the country said on Sunday.

The last time Nyiragongo erupted in 2002, more than 100,000 people were left homeless and around 250 people were reportedly killed. 

(With input from Xinhua and AFP)