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Tunisia, 15 Sep (Xinhua) -- Since Hurricane Daniel made landfall on the Mediterranean coast of eastern Libya on 10 September, it has had a serious impact on eastern Libya. The mayor of the worst-hit city of Derna estimates that "Daniel" and the flooding it caused could kill as many as 20,000 people in the city alone, far exceeding the number of more than 5,500 people currently confirmed in all affected areas in the eastern part of the country.
The hurricane was bad
Osama Ali, spokesman for the emergency department of the Ministry of Health of the Libyan Government of National Unity, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 13th that the floods caused by the hurricane have killed more than 5,500 people, injured more than 7,000 and left about 10,000 missing in eastern Libya. The disaster displaced some 30,000 people in the region and caused severe shortages of basic supplies. He said that the remains of the affected areas are constantly being recovered and the final number of casualties cannot be confirmed.
After the disaster, emergency rescue teams from all over Libya arrived in the disaster area one after another to carry out rescue. Now in the fifth day of the disaster, there is little hope of finding survivors.
Libya is located in northern Africa, on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Hurricane Daniel made landfall on the Mediterranean coast of eastern Libya on the 10th and caused flooding, causing a large number of casualties in its eastern cities of Derna, Beida and Shehat.
This is the scene after the floods in the eastern Libyan city of Derna on September 11. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the government appointed by the Libyan National Congress)
The China Meteorological Administration released news on the 13th that for the disaster, China provided meteorological monitoring support. In response to the causes of heavy precipitation caused by "Daniel", Niu Ruoyun, chief forecaster of the Central Meteorological Observatory, said that "Daniel" has been maintained in the central and eastern Mediterranean for a long time, continuously absorbing ocean vapor, bringing extreme heavy precipitation to countries near the Mediterranean such as Libya, Greece, Turkey, etc., and causing flood disasters.
A true color composite of the D star of Fengyun 3 on September 10, showing that the hurricane hit the Derna and other areas. Image source: National Satellite Meteorological Center
Why is Derna the hardest hit area
The city of Derna, 900 kilometers from Libya's capital, Tripoli, was the hardest hit area. Xinhua reporters saw locally that nearly a quarter of the city's coastal area had been destroyed by flooding and that the densely populated city center had also suffered intense damage.
The Libyan Red Crescent said that as of the 14th, the number of people killed in the hard-hit city of Derna in the disaster has reached 11,300, and another 10,100 are missing. The mayor of Derna, Gas, predicted on the 13th that "Daniel" and the floods caused by it may cause up to 20,000 deaths in the city alone. In an interview with Saudi Arabia's Arab television, he said that the number of people killed in the city of Drna could be very high, "reaching 18,000 to 20,000."
This is the scene after the floods in the eastern Libyan city of Derna on September 11. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the government appointed by the Libyan National Congress)
The city of Derna was the hardest hit mainly because two dams upstream of the city collapsed at night, and many people were swept away by the floodwaters in their sleep. ICRC officials in Libya told the media that the flood in the city of Derna was as high as 7 meters.
The city of Derna is located in a river valley and has a low terrain. In March 2011, the United States and its allies launched airstrikes against Libyan government forces to help Libyan rebels overthrow the Gaddafi regime, and Libya subsequently descended into prolonged civil unrest. The UN-recognized Libyan National Unity Government and the forces supporting it control parts of the west, while the Libyan National Congress, allied with the National Army, controls mainly the eastern and central regions. Due to years of war, there is no unified central government management, the infrastructure is old, and the flood prevention and resistance capacity is weak. According to media reports, at the time of the incident, there was neither a flood warning system nor an evacuation emergency plan.
The international community has been actively rescuing
Manfi, chairman of the Libyan Presidential Commission, appealed to the international community for help on the 11th, and many countries and international organizations expressed their condolences and extended a helping hand.
The World Health Organization announced on the 14th that it will allocate 2 million US dollars to assist Libya affected by hurricanes and floods. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the same day that a batch of 28 tons of medical and emergency supplies will arrive in Libya's disaster-stricken areas on the 15th. In addition, WHO has launched a network of emergency medical teams.
The spokesman of the United Nations Secretary-General expressed condolences to the families of the Libyan victims on the 12th, and said that the United Nations is mobilizing resources and emergency response teams to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the victims.
This is the scene after the floods in the eastern Libyan city of Derna on September 11. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the government appointed by the Libyan National Congress)
The staff of the Chinese Embassy in Libya confirmed to reporters on the 13th that the Chinese government is also coordinating relevant assistance work. Xu Wei, spokesman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said on the 14th that China expressed its condolences and concerns about the heavy casualties and property losses caused by hurricanes and floods in Libya, and was willing to provide emergency humanitarian assistance according to the needs of the affected people.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry announced on the 13th that it sent a rescue team of 37 people to Libya. Tunisian President Said said on the 13th that the Tunisian government sent a medical rescue team to Libya, and sent a military aircraft with medical supplies and a search and rescue aircraft to Libya on the 13th. Algeria deployed eight planes on the 12th to deliver food, medical supplies, clothes and tents and other aid to eastern Libya.
The Hashemite Charity Organization operated by the Jordanian government sent a plane full of humanitarian aid to eastern Libya on the 13th, and distributed blankets, mattresses, food and other materials to the disaster area through the coordination of relevant departments. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that the Turkish government sent three planes to eastern Libya on the 12th to carry search and rescue teams and humanitarian supplies. (Reporters: Pan Xiaojing, Liu Jian, Hui Xiaoshuang, Liu Xi, Li Rui, Liu Bing, Wang Qibing; Editor: Li Linyin; Editors: Wang Shen, Wang Fengfeng, Li Mengting, Lu Yu, Shen Haoyang)