'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