Roughly a quarter of Derna, a city in eastern Libya, fell victim to devastating floods unleashed by ruptured dams during a fierce storm. To date, over 1,000 fatalities have been recovered, as reported by Hichem Chkiouat, a minister overseeing civil aviation and a member of the emergency committee. In his words, “I returned from Derna. It is very disastrous. Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings.” He anticipated that the final death toll would be “really, really big.” Chkiouat further conveyed to Al Jazeera his expectation that the nationwide death count would exceed 2,500, given the increasing number of missing individuals.
Storm Daniel, which had previously hit Greece, also impacted other eastern Libyan cities, including Benghazi, the country’s second-largest city. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) echoed concerns that the number of victims could reach into the thousands.
A Reuters correspondent en route to Derna, a coastal city with approximately 125,000 residents, witnessed overturned vehicles along road edges, toppled trees, and flooded, abandoned homes. Convoys laden with aid and assistance were en route to the city.
Videos circulating showed a wide torrent coursing through the city center, where a much narrower watercourse once flowed. The streets were lined with ruined buildings. In a separate video, shared on Facebook and not independently verified by Reuters, numerous bodies appeared to be covered in blankets on the sidewalks.
Libya, beset by political divisions between the east and west, has seen its public services deteriorate since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ignited years of conflict. While the internationally recognized government in Tripoli lacks control over the eastern regions, it has dispatched aid to Derna. At least one relief flight took off from the western city of Misrata, carrying 14 tons of supplies, medications, equipment, body bags, and 87 medical and paramedical personnel, destined for Benghazi, according to Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of Libya’s Government of National Unity.
U.S. special envoy to Libya, Richard Norton, pledged U.S. aid, stating they would coordinate with U.N. partners and Libyan authorities to determine the most effective way to provide official U.S. assistance. Egypt, Qatar, Iran, and Germany also expressed readiness to offer aid.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared his dismay over the flooding in Libya and expressed his concern for the casualties, particularly in the eastern regions. The former U.N. acting envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, stressed the urgent need for foreign aid, emphasizing that the disaster “requires an urgent ramp up in international and regional assistance.”
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