Egyptian students returning from flood-stricken Libya exempted from tuition fees

CAIRO – 16 September 2023: Pre-university Egyptian students returning from Libya due to the devastating storm and flooding are exempted from paying tuition fees of the new 2023/2024 academic year, announced Reda Hegazy, the Minister of Education and Technical Education, in a statement on Saturday.

The Ministry extended sincere condolences to the families of the Egyptian victims who died as a result of floods that struck the Libyan state.

Hegazy also directed to harness all the capabilities of the Ministry and facilitate all procedures for the children of Egyptians in all education stages.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Egyptian citizens to stay away from the affected areas in the flood-stricken city of Derna in Libya, where risks of epidemics spreading are high as a result of decomposing the dead bodies of victims.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that the Libyan army prevented entry to these unsafe areas.

On September 10, the devastating storm, Daniel, struck Libya and led two dams in Derna city to collapse, killing so far more than 5,100 people while about 9,000 others are still missing. About 25 percent of the city was inundated. More than 70 dead bodies of Egyptian nationals who were killed in Libya floods were deported home and buried in their hometown Beni Suef, Upper Egypt, on Wednesday, Al-Arabyia Al Hadath reported.

The Egyptian side also is in communication with hospitals in the cities and regions of Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Tobruk, Umm Al-Razm, Martouba, and Shiha, as well as communicates with shelter centers close to the affected areas.

Abu Zeid aldo affirmed that the Egyptian Consulate is coordinating with the Libyan authorities and Egyptian support teams to provide assistance to the Egyptian survivors in shelter centers and hospitals.

Additionally, the Egyptian Consulate in Benghazi is currently coordinating with Egyptian ambulance teams to rescue the Egyptian survivors and work fast to return them home.

Due to the increasing death toll, the Libyan morgues were overwhelmed to the extent that some social media users posted video footage for dead bodies lying on the streets. Meanwhile, some mass graves were dug to bury other victims.