ABU DHABI: Sultan Mohammad Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development and International Organizations Affairs, said the UAE's air bridge to Libya is still in operation under the directives of the country's wise leadership.

“The airbridge is part of the UAE's relief efforts to stand by Libya and reduce the severity of the humanitarian situation the Libyan people are facing as a result of Storm Daniel,” added Al Shamsi in a statement.

The UAE has sent 622 tonnes of humanitarian and relief aid to Libya onboard 28 planes since launching an airlift on 12th September. The aid has benefited 6,386 families, following the directives of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE aid included food, shelter, medicine and first aid supplies and was distributed in the areas most affected by the disaster, especially eastern Libya. The UAE also dispatched search and rescue teams equipped with modern machinery and equipment to help with the relief efforts.

Al Shamsi emphasized that the UAE's assistance to Libya is aligned with founding father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's legacy of humanitarianism, which has been continued by the country's wise leadership.

On this occasion, Al Shamsi also expressed his sincere gratitude to the teams of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), who are currently working in the flood-affected areas of eastern Libya. Hث praised their efforts to deliver aid to those in need, assess the situation on the ground, and identify the most pressing requirements, which will be met through the ongoing airbridge flights from the UAE to Libya.

The UAE's swift and effective response to the humanitarian crisis in Libya is a testament to its commitment to helping those in need. Within hours of the storm, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the dispatch of urgent relief aid and search and rescue teams, demonstrating the UAE's unwavering solidarity with the Libyan people.

In implementation of the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, and Chairman of Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), ordered the ERC to immediately put in place a relief programme to provide and send shelter supplies, food, health care, and other essential needs to the devastated areas.

The ERC is also tasked with dispatching search and rescue teams equipped with helicopters, boats, vehicles specialized in rescue missions, generators, and other equipment. Within this context, the UAE team of Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) - the first to reach Derna to carry out such specialised tasks - arrived in Libya on Thursday last week.