150 dead as ‘catastrophic’ storm floods hit east Libya

Following the devastation caused by storm Daniel in Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece, authorities reported on Monday that record floods in eastern Libya claimed the lives of at least 150 people.

Photographs taken by locals in the affected area of Libya show large mudslides, destroyed buildings, and whole towns submerged in murky water.

Oussama Hamad, the prime minister of the administration located in the east, said that “more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing” had been reported in the city of Derna alone, however neither medical sources nor emergency services have verified such claims.

The overall death toll from other regions is far lower, despite the fact that Hamad’s remarks received a lot of coverage in eastern Libyan media.The Benghazi-based administration of Hamad claims through spokesman Mohamed Massoud that “at least 150 people were killed as a result of flooding and torrential rains left by storm Daniel in Derna, Jabal al-Akhdar region, and Al-Marj suburbs.” “This is in addition to the massive material damage that has struck both public and private properties,” he said to AFP.

Disasters are referred described as “catastrophic”.

Hamad’s administration, which competes with the UN-mediated, widely acknowledged transitional government in Tripoli in war-torn Libya, designated Derna a “disaster area” on Monday.

Abdelhamid Dbeibah, head of Libya’s western administration, announced three days of national mourning and emphasized “the unity of all Libyans” in the face of the tragedy during a special ministerial meeting that was broadcast live on television.

The National Petroleum Company, whose major oilfields and terminals are in eastern Libya, announced “a state of maximum alert” and halted flights between producing regions where activity was severely restricted.

The city of Derna’s council member claimed that the situation is “catastrophic” and that “national and international intervention” is necessary to prevent more damage.