Rome: Italy will send aid to Libya, where the death toll from severe floods in the east is expected to rise sharply, the foreign minister said Tuesday.

“The Italian government is responding immediately to requests for support for the floods in eastern Libya: an assessment team is already on its way, coordinated by our civil protection unit”, wrote Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some 10,000 people are currently reported missing in eastern Libya, according to the Red Cross, which said the death toll could be “huge”.

Italy’s Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, also said Tuesday on X that he had offered assistance from the army for the flooded areas.

Storm Daniel – which killed at least 27 people when it struck parts of Greece, Turkiye and Bulgaria in recent days – hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon.