'USNS Mercy' will head to Alor

'USNS Mercy' will head to Alor

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The floating hospital USNS Mercy will
provide humanitarian assistance for the victims of an earthquake
in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara province, after it winds up its
humanitarian operations in Aceh, a senior U.S. official said on
Tuesday.

The USNS Mercy, which has been in Aceh for a month and a half,
is set to complete operations in the tsunami-hit area of Aceh
soon. The Alor mission is also part of the ship's humanitarian
mission in Southeast Asia, said Mara A. Kaplan, the vice consul
at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, after holding a
closed-door meeting on Tuesday with East Nusa Tenggara Governor
Piet A. Tallo.

Alor regency was jolted by a strong earthquake at the end of
last year. At least 34 people were killed and thousands others
were wounded in the earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter
scale. -- JP