On Tuesday, Libya faced the grim prospect of approximately 10,000 individuals missing due to floods triggered by a massive storm, which led to dam breaches, the destruction of buildings, and the loss of nearly a quarter of the eastern city of Derna.
The city, where the devastation has been most severe, Health Minister Othman Abduljalil, from Libya’s eastern administration, informed Almasar TV that up to 6,000 individuals are unaccounted for. During his visit to the city on Monday, he described the situation as ‘catastrophic’.
Authorities believe entire neighborhoods may have been swept away within the city. Cadavers have been left on sidewalks outside of morgues. Derna’s hospitals are no longer functioning, and the morgues have reached full capacity, reported Osama Aly, spokesperson for the Emergency and Ambulance service.
Videos depicted a powerful torrent coursing through the city center as dams ruptured, causing destruction to buildings on both sides.
The storm also struck other eastern cities, including Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city. Tamer Ramadan, leading a delegation from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, expressed the expectation of a significant death toll.
“Martin Griffiths, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator, announced on the social media platform X that emergency teams were being deployed to provide assistance on the ground.
As Turkey and various other nations swiftly dispatched aid to Libya, which included search and rescue vehicles, rescue boats, generators, and food supplies, distressed residents of Derna hurriedly returned to their homes in search of their missing loved ones.
Pope Francis, along with other global leaders, expressed profound sorrow in response to the loss of lives and the extensive devastation in Libya.
The storm in northeastern Libya reached its zenith on Monday, as confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization, with information from Libya’s National Meteorological Centre. This event is part of a broader pattern of deadly flooding seen in various parts of the world, including southern Europe and Hong Kong.
(Source: Hamdi Alkhshali | Mostafa Salem | Kareem El Damanhoury | CNN | Ayman Werfali | Reuters)
