Thousands of people died in the earthquake in Morocco and the floods in Libya. The federal government now wants to make money available from the foreign disaster fund.
Austria will provide two million euros for the areas affected by the disaster in North Africa, as announced Tuesday by the Federal Chancellery. The decision will be taken by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. An earthquake in Morocco and floods in northeastern Libya recently claimed several thousand lives. Immediate aid “is now the order of the day”, says Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP).
The money for the affected regions comes from the foreign disaster fund and will benefit emergency aid from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRK), he said. The federal government is committed to international aid and cooperation, added Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens). “This is precisely why Austria’s foreign disaster fund has increased fivefold in recent years,” says Kogler. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also emphasized that “non-bureaucratic help on the ground” could be provided in this way.
Hundreds of thousands of people affected
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300,000 people, including around 100,000 children, are affected by the earthquake disaster in Morocco. Almost simultaneously, a cyclone caused catastrophic flooding around the port city of Darna in northeastern Libya. The natural disaster and dam collapse claimed several thousand lives and injured even more. 10,000 people are still missing. The risk of epidemics is also now increasing and threatens to worsen the situation. (APA)