The floods that devastated the city of Derna in eastern Libya claimed more than 2,300 lives, a spokesman for the emergency services of Tripoli’s internationally recognized government told AFP on Tuesday.
Oussama Ali, spokesman for the Libyan Rescue and Rescue Service, which has stationed a team in Derna since Monday, said that the floods caused by Storm Daniel had caused “more than 2,300 deaths” and around 7,000 injuries, leaving more than 5,000 people missing.
• Also read: Libya: 150 dead in floods after torrential rains
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, particularly the coastal towns of Jabal al-Akhdar (northeast), but also Benghazi, where a curfew was imposed and schools were closed. The devastating flash floods also led to the deaths of many residents and significant property damage.
The outcome remains uncertain, IFRC official Tamer Ramadan said during the regular UN press conference in Geneva. “We currently have no definitive figures” on the number of deaths, he said, stressing that “the number of missing people is close to 10,000.”
He said he hoped to have more detailed information on the results later today.
“The humanitarian needs far exceed the capacity of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacity of the government,” said Mr. Ramadan, speaking live from Tunis.
“For this reason, the government in the East has launched an appeal for international assistance, and we will also launch an emergency appeal soon,” he emphasized.
Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), called it “a disaster of epic proportions.”
“Whole districts of Derna disappeared and their residents were swept away by water following the collapse of two aging dams, making the situation catastrophic and uncontrollable,” said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a UN agency.
In this city there are “more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing,” said the head of the executive branch in eastern Libya, Osama Hamad, on Monday.
The National Meteorological Center (CMN) had given early warning of this extreme weather event 72 hours before it occurred and informed all authorities. On this basis, a state of emergency was declared in the East, emphasized the WMO.
The most important oil fields and terminals are located in the east of Libya. The National Oil Company (NOC) declared a “state of high alert” and “suspended flights” between manufacturing sites, where activity has been drastically reduced.
Storm Daniel, described by experts as an “extreme phenomenon in terms of the amount of water,” had already claimed at least 27 lives and caused significant property damage in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in recent days.