Northeastern Libya has been hit by heavy flooding, causing two dams to burst. It is estimated that the number of dead has reached 5,000, with tens of thousands more missing.
Foreign news agencies reported that Mrs. Temer Ramadan, representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya. told reporters in Geneva of Switzerland on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, that the number of people missing in the flooding in northeastern Libya is more than 10,000 people and many have died.
The Ministry of Interior of the eastern Libyan government said on the same day that The death toll may have risen to at least 5,300, with at least 145 Egyptians among the dead.
The eastern city of Derna, with a population of about 100,000, suffered the most damage. After the dam broke in two places causing water to wash into the city. Heavy damage More than 2,300 people have died and as many as 6,000 others are still missing, said Othman Abduljalil, health minister of the eastern government.
While Mr. Osama Ali, spokesman for the Office of Emergency and Ambulance Services told CNN news agency that The situation in Derna has become catastrophic. Tall buildings along the river were torn down. Houses and cars were swept away along with people along with the current. Hospitals in the city were unable to operate and the morgue was full. As a result, the deceased’s body was left in front of the morgue building.
Telephone signals in Derna were also cut off. This makes rescue operations more complicated. Some officials were unable to enter the city. Due to the damage that has occurred
The flooding occurred because of heavy rain from the influence of a very strong low pressure area. which is the remnant of Storm Daniel that hit Greece last week and then moved into the Mediterranean Sea. and has spread its influence against Libya since Sunday (Sept. 10).
Dr. Carsten Huestein, Meteorologist from the University of Leipzig Germany said the storm comes at a time when ocean temperatures around the world are increasing due to global warming. Meanwhile, temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea were above average. This caused Storm Daniel to produce more and more intense rain.
The situation in Libya makes them even more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Due to political conflict that has been going on for decades This caused the government in the country to be divided into two: the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli. in the northwest of the country, led by Abdulhamid Debeh, supported by the United Nations
In the east it is controlled by Commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), backed by the eastern parliament led by Osama Hamad. It is only 300 km east of Benghazi, putting it under the control of Commander Haftar.
LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said the floods had affected several cities, including al-Bayda, Tobruk, Takenis, al-Bayada and But. Tah, including coastal cities to the east all the way to Benghazi. At least 37 residential buildings were washed into the sea.
Mr. Miss Marie admitted that They were not prepared for a disaster of this magnitude. And now officials need a search facility that specializes in 3 things, including recovering bodies from mountainous areas, recovering bodies under rubble. and a team to recover bodies that had been washed into the sea The army has sent tens of thousands of soldiers. and many areas are still inaccessible
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2023-09-12 23:00:00