Berlin, April 25: Expressing solidarity with the people of India amid the record surge in COVID-19 cases, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said that they are preparing a "mission to support" to aid India's fight against the pandemic.

"To the people of India I want to express my sympathy on the terrible suffering that COVID-19 has again brought over your communities. The fight against the pandemic is our common fight. Germany stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support," Merkel said in a message shared on Twitter by her spokesperson Steffen Seibert. Mann Ki Baat: COVID-19 Second Wave Testing Our Patience, Capacity to Bear Pain, Says PM Narendra Modi.

India recorded 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year. According to the Union Health Ministry, the country has recorded 2,767 new deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

Merkel's show of support comes days after her criticism of the slowdown of vaccine exports from India against the backdrop of a record spike in coronavirus infections in the country.

Earlier today, the European Union (EU) has said it will do its utmost to support India, amid a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country which has led to shortage of hospital beds and medical-grade oxygen in some parts of the country.

"The EU together with its Member States will do its utmost to support India in this difficult moment," said Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan.

Janez Lenarcic, the European Emergency Response Coordinator today informed that the EU has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism to help India with the COVID-19 crisis.

As India announced a grim record -- the highest daily coronavirus infection tallies in a single country, several US lawmakers have voiced their concerns and have heaped pressure on the Biden administration to extend assistance, release vaccines and other raw materials critical for India.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday had said that the US is working closely with its partners in the Indian government to deploy more supplies and additional support amid the spike in COVID-19 infections in the country.

Several other countries including Iran, Russia, Australia, Bhutan, and the EU have extended support to India.

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