18 Jan 2019

Vanuatu's govt approves money for Ambrym volcano relief

3:43 pm on 18 January 2019

Vanuatu's Council of Ministers has approved over $US440,000 to go towards the Ambrym volcanic disaster response.

The Ambrym volcano

The Ambrym volcano Photo: WikiCommons

It is the first emergency budget specifically approved for the Ambrym eruption and resulting tremors which damaged buildings and opened up cracks in the ground last month.

An earlier $US880,000 amount was taken from the Ambae's Manaro volcanic eruption fund.

This was greeted with disapproval and outrage by some Ambaean chiefs.

The concern by Ambaean leaders is that while the money was donated by sympathetic donor partners, their hardship is still ongoing.

The eruption of the volcano at Ambae's centre forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents last year.