Assistance to tackle the consequences of the storm that hit the region of Skopje and Tetovo over the weekend has been offered to the Republic of Macedonia by many countries. Several countries in the region, including the neighboring Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey and Croatia, were the first ones to offer their assistance.

“At the moment, the Republic of Macedonia is defining its needs to address the emergency situation before officially asking for international assistance,” the MoFA said Monday.

The Republic of Macedonia over the weekend was hit by a freak storm, the most severe one recorded in the past decade. Flash floods in Skopje left 21 dead and over 70 injured, the Ministry said.

Monday is declared a day of mourning by the Government of Macedonia.

The Interior Ministry and the Macedonian Army (ARM) have deployed teams, which are joined by units of the Red Cross of Macedonia and volunteers, to the affected areas to clean up the terrain. At the same time, numerous charity campaigns have been launched to contribute to flood relief efforts, according to the MoFA.