France's Hollande promises "emergency aid" to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew

France, in cooperation with European partners and allies, is mobilizing efforts to provide Haiti, devastated by Hurricane Matthew, with "emergency aid," French President Francois Hollande said on Friday.

Hollande expressed "his sympathy and support to the Haitian people," stressing that "the most urgent need now is to provide drinking water to the population and prevent health risk."

With the aim, Paris will deploy 60 military civil security, and 32 tons of equipment, including two purification plant water, medical kits, humanitarian first-aid equipment, the president's office said in a statement.

At request of Haitian authorities, France's Falcon 50 jet, on Oct. 5, had conducted a reconnaissance flight over Haiti to assess the infrastructure damage to see how to bring help to affected population, it added.

Hurricane Matthew, the strongest hurricane in recent years, killed some 300 people and left tens of thousands homeless as it swept through Haiti earlier this week with wind speeds reaching up to 230 km/h.

Haiti in the Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and frequently smashed by hurricanes, with Hurricane Jeanne, killing at least 3,000 people in 2004. Endit