In response to the volcanic eruption in Papua New Guinea, India has dispatched emergency relief worth $1 million to aid the thousands of people forced to evacuate.
The relief consignment, airlifted by the Australian Air Force from the capital, Port Moresby, on Monday, is meant for distribution within the West New Britain province.
Announcing the humanitarian effort on the social media platform X, the Indian High Commission in Papua New Guinea said, “Responding to immediate requirements of PNG, emergency India relief assistance worth US$ 1 million gifted by India, was airlifted to Kimbe (from Port Moresby) by @AusAirForce @AusHCPNG, for onward distribution within West New Britain province. A friend in need is a friend indeed!”
The relief supplies include approximately 11 tonnes of disaster relief material and 6 tonnes of medical aid. India had previously sent relief supplies via a special charter flight to PNG last month.
Ulawun, Papua New Guinea’s most active volcano, erupted on November 20, spewing smoke up to 15 km (9.3 miles) into the air, according to the country’s Geohazards Management Division. This marked the volcano’s first significant eruption in years. Ulawun has a history of repeated eruptions since the 1700s, with the last significant one occurring in 2019, prompting the evacuation of over 5,000 people, as reported by Al Jazeera.
(Inputs from ANI)