On the 10th of this month, Hurricane Daniel hit eastern Libya, causing severe flooding, which may have killed more than 5,000 people and left 10,000 missing.
According to a report by Arabia TV on the 12th local time, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that the flood disaster in eastern Libya has killed more than 5,000 people. On the same day, federation officials said more than 10,000 people were estimated to be missing in floods across Libya.
Thousands of people were killed and over 10,000 more missing after floods, triggered by Mediterranean storm Daniel, hit eastern Libya on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tamer Ramadan, Libyan envoy representing the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told a UN meeting on Tuesday that he believed there were still at least 10,000 people unaccounted for in the flood-hit areas.
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)
According to the armed "National Army" in eastern Libya, the floods caused the dam to burst in the eastern city of Derna, submerging nearly a quarter of the area. At least 1,000 dead bodies have been found in the area, and the actual death toll may be much higher.
A quarter of the eastern city of Derna was wiped out by floodwaters after dams burst as Storm Daniel hit the country, with more than 1,000 bodies recovered so far.
The Ministry of Health of the Libyan National Unity Government said on social media on the 12th that Hurricane Daniel has killed about 2,300 people and left about 5,000 missing in the city of Derna.
Derna’s ambulance authority said earlier Tuesday that 2,300 had died.
Libya, located in northern Africa and bordering the Mediterranean Sea, has been in turmoil since the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. The UN-recognized government of national unity and the forces supporting it control parts of western Libya. The Libyan National Congress, in alliance with the "National Army", controls mainly the eastern and central regions.
According to Xinhua, the city of Derna, located on Libya's northern coast, has a population of about 125,000. On their way to the city of Derna, journalists saw vehicles overturned on the side of the road, trees blown down and houses flooded. Video footage shows a huge torrent rushing into the center of Derna, following the dam's bursting and the road lined with rubble. Rescuers were in rubber boats and salvaged in the water, and dozens of dead bodies were placed on the sidewalk.
At present, relief operations are difficult due to the interruption of the road to the hardest-hit area of Derna, which makes it difficult for rescue forces to reach it.
On the 12th local time, UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement through a spokesperson expressing solidarity with the Libyan people and authorities on the Libyan flood disaster, expressing condolences to the families of the victims, and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. Guterres said the United Nations is working with multiple parties to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to people in the affected areas.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed "heartfelt condolences" to the Libyan authorities and families of those who have perished as a result of a deadly storm, his spokesman said on Tuesday. The United Nations is coordinating with the Libyan authorities to assess needs and support ongoing relief efforts.
The World Health Organization said on the 12th local time that the scope of damage caused by Hurricane "Daniel" in Libya was shocking, and the rainfall affected at least 1.5 million to 1.8 million people. The floods also damaged hospitals, some of which were unable to function, and WHO is helping to resettle people and build field hospitals in the affected areas.
Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization said the flooding was of “epic proportions”. “There’s not been a storm like this in the region in living memory, so it’s a great shock,” she said. Dr. Harris added that WHO has deployed prepositioned aid supplies to the affected areas. She estimated that torrential rain affected up to 1.8 million people and damaged and even “wiped out” some hospitals.
Video source: CCTV News
Hurricane Daniel had previously caused days of heavy rainfall in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, killing at least 27 people in all three countries. On the 11th, the hurricane hit western Egypt, and the Egyptian meteorological department has issued a warning of possible rainfall and bad weather.