British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said today that his government is in contact with the Libyan authorities and the UN to “urgently assess what support we can provide to help the Libyan people at this tragic time.”
“My thoughts are with all those affected by the catastrophic flooding in eastern Libya. The UK stands ready to provide assistance,” Cleverly said in a brief statement.
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.