South Korea has extended a humanitarian aid package of $2 million to Libya, recently devastated by the “Daniel” cyclone.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed in a statement on Sunday that this generous contribution will be dispatched through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Expressing its deep concern for the Libyan populace adversely affected by the cyclone and subsequent flooding, South Korea hopes that the financial assistance will play a pivotal role in stabilizing the nation and catalyzing the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken regions.
Previously, the United Nations reported that the death toll from the catastrophic floods in the eastern Libyan city of Derna has risen to a staggering 11,300 individuals. Additionally, the UN’s humanitarian coordination body stated that 10,100 people remain missing. In other areas of eastern Libya, outside of Derna, floods claimed an additional 170 lives.
However, a spokesperson for the Libyan Red Crescent refuted these figures provided by the UN, stating, “We genuinely find it perplexing that our name is associated with such statistics. We have never endorsed these numbers.” He emphasized that such statistics “complicate the situation, especially for the families of the missing.”
It’s noteworthy that the Mediterranean cyclone “Daniel” swept through various eastern Libyan regions last Sunday, predominantly affecting cities like Benghazi, Al Bayda, Al Marj, as well as Sousa and Derna. The cyclone led to the collapse of two dams in Derna, whose waters inundated parts of the city, damaging structures and infrastructure.
