The city of Derna was devastated by floods AFP
The city of Derna was devastated by floodsAFP
Published on September 23, 2023 5:45 p.m
The floods caused by Storm Daniel in Libya about two weeks ago killed more than 3,800 people, according to a new report published on Saturday (23) by the country’s authorities. The storm that devastated the eastern city of Derna left at least 3,845 people dead, according to Mohamed Eljarh, spokesman for a committee formed by the eastern government to organize rescue operations.
However, the figure only takes into account bodies that were buried and registered by the Ministry of Health, Eljarh stressed, warning that the balance should increase. The bodies buried by local residents shortly after the disaster were also not counted.
Authorities and international humanitarian organizations estimate that more than 10,000 people are still missing. Storm Daniel primarily hit the Derna region, a city of 100,000 people on the Mediterranean. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 43,000 people have been displaced by the floods.
Libya has been plagued by divisions since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and is ruled by two rival governments: one in Tripoli (west), recognized by the United Nations and led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, and the other in the east, the is embodied by parliament and associated with it is the powerful Marshal Khalifa Haftar.