Romania sends aid to Libya after devastating floods
Romania has sent aid to Libya in response to the devastating floods that struck the country last week. A first shipment was sent on Saturday, aboard a Romanian Air Force plane, according to Radio România Actualități.
The Ministry of Defense has announced that the Air Force will send six aircraft to Libya, carrying 55 tons of food and tents."This is one of the biggest global disasters to have occurred in recent times," said Raed Arafat, head of the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations.
The floods devastated the city of Derna, where two nearby dams collapsed in the wake of torrential rains. The death toll in Derna alone is overwhelming: over 11,300 dead and more than 10,000 people missing. There is also a risk of cholera, as 1,000 of the dead have been buried in mass graves, thousands of bodies have washed out to sea, and thousands more are trapped under rubble.
The head of the World Meteorological Organization has said that the devastating death toll from the floods could have been avoided if Libya, a country divided by war, had a functioning meteorological service capable of issuing warnings.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
