EU to Allocate $21.8Mln in Aid to Earthquake-Hit Nepal

The European Union will provide financial support to the value of 16.6 million euro ($18.47 million) and an additional 3 million euro ($3.33 million) in emergency aid to help Nepal cope with the devastating earthquake that hit the country on April 25, the European Commission (EC) said Monday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The funds will be transferred directly to the Nepalese government and will be available later in the week, bringing the total EU contribution to Nepal since the disaster to $25 million, the Commission said in a press release.

"This announced assistance will allow us to efficiently link our current emergency efforts with the longer term reconstruction phase," EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides was quoted as saying in the press release.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks caused severe destruction across the country, killing more than 7,000 people and injuring over 14,000, according to United Nations (UN) estimates.