U.S. President Joe Biden announced today that his country is sending emergency funds to relief organizations in Libya to assist in ongoing humanitarian aid operations in the wake of catastrophic floods that left thousands dead and missing in the eastern part of the country.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden expressed his “deepest condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones in the devastating floods in Libya.”
“In this difficult hour, the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organizations and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the UN to provide additional support,” he added.
“We join the Libyan people in grieving the loss of too many lives cut short, and send our hope to all those missing loved ones.”
At least 10,000 people were feared missing in Libya on Tuesday in floods caused by a huge storm that burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern city of Derna.
More than 1,000 bodies have already been recovered in Derna alone and officials expected the death toll would be much higher, after Storm Daniel barrelled across the Mediterranean into a country divided and crumbling after over a decade of conflict.
Foreign governments also sent messages of support to Libya. Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were among those that said they would send humanitarian assistance and teams to help with search and rescue efforts.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi convened his military commanders on Tuesday to arrange urgent assistance to its western neighbour. He said in televised comments that the military would deploy equipment and personnel in co-ordination with eastern Libyan forces to help affected communities.