Vehicles wait in line for a fill-up outside a gas station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 16, 2022. (Photo: Xinhua)

COLOMBO, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has released 1.5 million euros (about 1.45 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian aid to respond to the ongoing socio-economic crisis affecting millions of people in Sri Lanka, a statement from the EU said on Thursday.

The new EU funding will mainly focus on multipurpose cash interventions to respond to the basic needs of the population, among which food, health, education and protection is the urgent priorities, said the statement, which underlined that the humanitarian assistance would target the most vulnerable households that required immediate support.

Commissioner for Crisis Management of the EU, Janez Lenarčič, said that the people of Sri Lanka were suffering the hardship of a protracted socio-economic crisis that was increasingly exhausting resources and threatening food security of millions of people.

"With this new humanitarian funding, the EU reaffirms its support to the most vulnerable and will support the humanitarian response on the ground," the commissioner said.

Sri Lanka is facing one of its worst economic crises as the island country faces a shortage in foreign currency leading to a shortage in essential supplies such as fuel, medicines and even food items.