Kilauea eruption victims who were ruled ineligible have been asked to return federal disaster relief payments.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed 77 disaster relief applicants were asked to return some or all of their payments.

The Big Island eruption that began in May 2018 destroyed more than 700 homes in Lower Puna.

FEMA says the ruling followed routine evaluations of 1,002 disaster relief applications.

The agency says it cannot confirm the amount of money to be returned because the evaluation and appeals process is ongoing.

A FEMA spokesperson says every recipient of disaster relief funds is informed the money may be expropriated following a mandatory review and that they can appeal their cases.