Bulgaria's government is planning to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Libya, but rules out military intervention, the foreign minister said.

"We are considering the possibility of sending humanitarian squads to support tens of thousands of people, who are on the run. The question now is not just how to bring back the Bulgarians there, but how to help install rulers, who will meet the expectations of the people," Minister Nikolay Mladenov said on Thursday.

The minister reiterated that tensions in Libya continue to escalate and renewed his calls on the Bulgarians still there to flee the African country.

The statement comes just a day after European Union announced a trebling of aid for refugees fleeing Libya to EUR 10 M.

The extra cash follows a UN call for an international response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the Libyan-Tunisian border.

The EU plans a crisis summit next week to discuss the border situation and the chaos within Libya itself.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, said: "In the Benghazi area, we have humanitarian teams already on the ground, and they report that there is a need for medical assistance. Because the Libyan health system had foreigners at its heart and they have left, leaving behind a huge void, which has to be filled."

Brussels has also made EUR 25 M available to help process asylum seekers and boost border checks at EU frontiers.

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