The European Union has approved 20 million euros ($22 million) in financial support and emergency aid to help Nepal deal with the April 25 earthquake.

Monday' EU commitment came after a request for help from the Nepalese government, which said it was facing a huge funding gap if there was no increase in international help. Beyond the 16.6 million euros in financial support and 3 million euros in emergency aid, EU Commissioner Neven Mimica said "as soon as the needs assessments are completed, we will look into how we can further assist."

Nepal is one of the world's poorest nations. The earthquake has claimed at least 7,200 lives and shattered the country's economy.