Libya flooding: 29 metric tonnes of additional WHO aid arrives from UAE hub

Medical facilities in areas of Libya impacted by devastating flooding are set to benefit after 29 metric tonnes of supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) arrived on Saturday.

The health aid arrived in the major city Benghazi, which has been impacted by the flooding that hit the country's northeast and has left tens of thousands displaced or dead.

The aid, which came from a WHO hub in the UAE, is enough to reach nearly a quarter of a million people and includes essential medicines, and trauma and emergency surgery supplies, the UN agency said in a press release.

WHO Libya representative Ahmed Zouiten said: "This is a disaster of epic proportions. We are saddened by the unspeakable loss of thousands of souls.

"Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones, as well as with all of the affected communities.

"We are committed to providing the necessary support to restore health services for the affected population in eastern Libya."

The aid will help replenish stock in over half the health facilities in the areas impacted by the flooding, most of which aren't functioning because of shortages, WHO said.

The international public health body previously delivered 29 metric tonnes of urgent medical aid from its existing contingency supplies in Libya.

The city of Derna has been hit hardest by the flooding, caused by the powerful Storm Daniel, but other areas of Libya's northeast have been impacted too.

"This is beyond just one city. This is a national disaster really and winter is gonna sweep across and, you know, more rain, more storms," Ahmed Bayram, Middle East media adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council humanitarian group, told The New Arab on Friday.