BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission has activated its EU Civil Protection Mechanism and is seeking to send oxygen and medicine to virus-hit India after receiving a request from Delhi.
India has seen a massive surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days, with hospitals in the capital and across the country turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen and beds.
“Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
“The EU executive is already coordinating with EU countries that are ready to provide urgently needed oxygen & medicine rapidly,” European Commission for humanitarian aid Janez Lenarcic wrote on Twitter.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
