Mt. Ulawun

Acting Indian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Ravindra Nath announced the imminent arrival of the relief flight, scheduled for December 22nd. The Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has demonstrated unwavering support and commitment by allocating a substantial US$ 1 million relief package to aid the affected communities.

The aid aims to address the urgent needs of affected communities and aid displaced families in their safe return home. This contribution supplements ongoing disaster preparedness programs, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) deploying experts to assess evacuee needs.

Mount Ulawun's eruptions since November 20 have claimed five lives, impacting over 24,000 people and displacing 16,000 to evacuation centres in East New Britain and West New Britain provinces.

A Stop Press notice was issued by Niusky Pacific on Tuesday, closing the airport to all operations until further notice.

Air Niugini is monitoring the situation carefully and will issue further updates as the situation develops and more information becomes available.

“We regret the inconvenience caused, however, the situation is beyond the airline’s control. Passengers holding tickets for flights to or from Hoskins may rebook their travel for later dates, with penalties waived.”