Egon evacuees get govt aid

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: A local government body has distributed aid to victims of the eruption of Mount Egon in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara province.

The aid is in the form of five tons of rice, Rp 10 million (US$1,053) in cash, hundreds of masks and two water tanks, according to Stanis Tefa, an official with the Disaster Mitigation and Refugee Task Force in the regency.

At least 1,500 residents fled their homes after Mount Egon erupted on Saturday. The 1,700-meter-high mountain previously erupted in February this year. -- JP