€36,000 have been donated so far to a fund managed by the Civil Protection Department to send humanitarian aid to Libya.

The fund was announced late last week and donations are being received at the commercial banks.

Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and the Director of Civil Protection, Patrick Murgo, said the focus of humanitarian aid would be on the provision of medical supplies.

"We are friends of all the people of Libya," the minister said, insisting that no distinction would be made between the two sides in humanitarian assistance.

Mr Murgo said the department's premises at Shipwright Wharf, Marsa, had also been readied in case of an influx of migrants.

A platform has been built for direct access by sea and a number of tents have been set up for reception facilities, medical checks and the accommodation of migrants, if existing facilities are not enough.

A number of NGOs are lending their support.

Mr Murgo said the preparations were taken in hand when the evacuation of workers from Libya was started, but the workers were quickly transferred to aircraft and emergency accommodation was not needed.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said Air Malta rescue flights which were meant to ferry workers from the Libya-Tunisia border to Alexandria were now ferrying workers to Ghana and Chad. Half of the costs will be borne by the EU.

Funds can be donated to the following accounts:

HSBC -078-002391-050

BOV - 40018758443

Lombard Bank - 01440800001

APS Bank - 20000889551

Banif Bank - 00083224181