Ambae island evacuation

The island's original population is estimated at 10,000 but since the Manaro Voui volcano began erupting in September last year many people have already left.

An official with Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office, Lopanga Ores, said during the first week of August over 1400 people have been relocated by the government from Ambae to Maewo, and an estimated 3200 others have evacuated voluntarily to Luganville on Santo.

Ms Ores said both sea and air transport was being used for the mass evacuation.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, Johnny Koanapo, has expressed concern four sites prepared for the evacuees on Maewo are too expensive.

The chiefs told the Vanuatu Daily Post their people have allowed the northern end of their island to be inhabited by the people from Merelava island in Torba province and the southern end by people of north Pentecost at no cost.

However, the chiefs said that if essential services on Maewo were not available then it was up to the government to upgrade them.

A state of emergency has been declared after the volcano at its centre flared up again, blanketing much of the island in ash.

The provincial government now plans to move people from the north, south and west of the island to where it has secured land in the east, and possibly off-island, but when exactly that would start remained unclear.

Father William Bice is an Anglican priest in the hard-hit north, where he said a 30 centimetre thick layer of ash has blanketed everything, killing all plant life and contaminating water.