Wellington, Dec 31 The New Zealand government has dispatched more air force flights to support the disaster response in Vanuatu following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake which struck the Pacific nation two weeks ago.
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130H Hercules aircraft carried out further flights after the massive quake that left at least 14 people dead and hundreds more injured so far, according to the New Zealand Defense Force on Tuesday.
Two round-trip flights took place last week between New Zealand and Vanuatu for the change of shift of disaster relief staff and equipment from various agencies, most from Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and bring home Kiwis being evacuated from Vanuatu.
After last weekend's flights, most of the people initially deployed by agencies to Vanuatu are now home, said RNZAF Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Andy Scott, Xinhua news agency reported.
On December 28, the Indonesian government also provided emergency assistance to quake-stricken Vanuatu to support the nation’s relief efforts following the 7.3-magnitude earthquake on December 17, which killed a dozen people and injured hundreds.
A plane carrying a medical team and 50.5 tonnes of logistics and food departed from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in East Jakarta.
Health Minister Budi Sadikin expressed his hope that the medical team would begin aiding the victims upon their arrival in Vanuatu. According to him, the team was scheduled to conduct the humanitarian mission for 14 days.
Earlier, on December 24, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had announced that it provided $5 million in contingent disaster financing to support emergency relief efforts in Vanuatu following the earthquake that struck the capital, Port Vila, on December 17.
The grant had come from the fifth phase of the Pacific Disaster Resilience Programme, which had also contributed to strengthening the country's capacity to manage and reduce disaster risks.
The programme had been financed by a $20 million concessional loan from the ADB’s ordinary capital resources and a $21 million grant from the Asian Development Fund.
The situation in Vanuatu remains concerning after the massive earthquake, and the government had requested international assistance on December 18.
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