Japanese emergency aid arrived Thursday in Papua New Guinea to assist thousands of villagers evacuated following the eruption of a volcano on the island of New Britain, according to the Japanese Embassy.
The Japanese government responded to a call for help from the PNG government by donating 1,400 water tanks, 1,400 towels, 20 tents, 12 electricity generators and 12 reels of electrical cord, altogether worth about $58,625, an embassy spokesman in Sydney told Kyodo News.
Shigeo Uetake, senior vice foreign minister, was to present the aid in the capital of Port Moresby late Thursday, the spokesman said.
Mount Pago, about 50 km south of the town of Kimbe, erupted Aug. 5 after lying dormant since 1933. The lava flows and strongly acidic volcanic ash have affected about 30,000 people, the PNG government said in a statement Wednesday.
The eruption has caused the closure of an airport and schools, and has caused extensive damage to reservoirs, fields and coconut oil plantations.
The financially troubled country of 5 million people is situated on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of fire" volcanic belt, making it prone to natural disasters.