London, Thanasis Gavos

King Charles sent a letter in which he and his wife are “desperately saddened” by the “catastrophic impact and loss of life from Storm Daniel and the floods” to the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi.

The British monarch adds that he mourns with those who have lost loved ones and that he and Queen Camilla continue to pray for those who saw their lives and property affected by the “horrific” floods.

At the same time, he expresses his admiration for those “tirelessly involved in rescue operations in such dire conditions”, praising their “selfless bravery”.

The British government on Wednesday announced an initial aid package of £1 million to meet the first needs of residents of Derna, where the death toll from flooding could reach 20,000, the Libyan city’s mayor said.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a post on X, spoke of his shock at the scale of the loss and destruction caused by the floods in the North African country.