BRUSSELS, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - The European Union announced Friday it would donate one million euros ($1.36 million) for urgent humanitarian aid to Nicaragua in the aftermath of Hurricane Felix.

A spokesman for the EU's executive branch, the European Commission, told journalists that the funds would be used to purchase food, drinking water, medicines, and other essential items. It will also enable the Central American country to begin repairing its damaged telecommunications and transport infrastructure, the spokesman said.

The hurricane is believed to have claimed the lives of at least 60 Nicaraguans. However, with many people still unaccounted for, the figure is expected to rise. Thousands of homes were also damaged in the country, which is one of the poorest in Central America.