BENGHAZI (Libya), Sept 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Authorities in eastern Libya said at least 2,000 people were killed and thousands more were missing after a massive flood ripped through the city of Derna following a heavy storm and rain.
Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) that controls eastern Libya, said in a televised news conference that the disaster came after dams above Derna had collapsed, “sweeping whole neighbourhoods with their residents into the sea”.
Mismari put the number of missing at 5,000-6,000.
Authorities have declared the city of Derna, the worst hit area, a disaster zone. Officials said the city has become inaccessible as electricity and communications have been cut off.
The spokesman also said 1,200 people were injured in heavy floods in Derma.
The cities of Al Marj, Susah, Shahat and Al Bayda also have several people who died, an official said.
“Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out…with their residents,” Libya’s head of military said.
Mediterranean storm Daniel is behind the widespread flooding in the North African nation as it swept away entire neighborhoods and destroyed homes in several coastal towns.
After pummelling Greece last week, Storm Daniel swept in over the Mediterranean on Sunday, swamping roads and destroying buildings in Derna, and hitting other settlements along the coast, including Libya’s second biggest city of Benghazi.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah who heads the Government of National Unity in Tripoli has ordered “relevant agencies” to assist in search and rescue operations.
“I’ve instructed the Ministry of Health and all relevant agencies to quickly provide assistance,” Dbeibah said.
“Relief convoys will be dispatched to all cities affected by this incident. We will respond with all available resources,” he added.
Libya has for years had two rival governments, each supported by militias and foreign governments, which has largely affected the country’s development and access to aid.
An internationally recognised administration, the Government of National Unity, is based in Tripoli and headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, while a rival self-proclaimed government is based in eastern Libya’s Benghazi.
Most of the destruction from Storm Daniel appears to be in territory controlled by the eastern government, headed by Osama Hamad.
The lack of a single functioning government means that the war-torn country has suffered shortfalls in development and infrastructure, as well as difficulties in cooperation over aid access.
“The missing are in the thousands, and the dead exceed 2,000,” Osama Hamad, the prime minister of a self-proclaimed government in eastern Libya, told Almasar TV.
“Entire neighbourhoods in Derna have disappeared, along with their residents … swept away by water.”
“I am deeply saddened by the severe impact of [Storm] Daniel on the country and have tasked an emergency response team to prepare to support local authorities and partners in the region,” Georgette Gagnon, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya, posted on social media.
Gagnon said early reports showed the storm damaged dozens of cities and villages in the area.
“I call on all local, national and international partners to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to those affected at this difficult time,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 24 hours, over 16 inches of rain fell in the city of Bayda, Libya’s National Center of Meteorology reported, according to the flood tracking website Floodlist.
“We are in close contact with the United Nations and with authorities in Libya to determine how quickly we can bring assistance to where it is most needed,” the U.S. Embassy in Libya posted on X.
Last week, the storm hammered the southeastern Mediterranean, killing at least 26 people in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. — NNN-AGENCIES
