Coastal city of Derna largely affected as thousands killed in Libya floods
Thousands of people have been confirmed dead and at least 10,000 were missing in Libya as a result of floods triggered by a massive Mediterranean storm that burst dams, swept away houses, and destroyed up to a fifth of the eastern coastal city of Derna.
A top medic in Derna told Reuters that more than 2,000 people had died, while officials in eastern Libya quoted by local television put the death toll at over 5,000.
The local al-Masar television said the eastern administration’s interior minister had said more than 5,000 people died.
The storm also affected other eastern cities, including Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi.
Tamer Ramadan, the head of an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies mission, predicted a “huge” death toll.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said emergency response teams have been dispatched to assist on the ground.
Turkey and other countries have delivered supplies to Libya, including search and rescue trucks, rescue boats and generators to ease the search and rescue operations.
Pope Francis and other world leaders have expressed grief over the lives and destruction in Libya.
US President Joe Biden sent his condolences and announced that Washington will give emergency support to relief bodies to rescue those who have been trapped in the disaster.
Libya is politically divided between east and west, and public services have crumbled since a NATO-backed insurrection in 2011 sparked years of factional conflict. The division has hampered the rescue operations.
