A spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent said on September 12 that Storm Daniel on September 11 caused two dams in eastern Libya to collapse, causing severe flooding downstream, killing nearly 3,000 people and leaving about 10,000 missing.
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| Massive flooding in eastern Libya has killed thousands. (Source: NDTV World) |
Storm Daniel swept through eastern Libya on September 11, causing two dams on the Wadi Derna River to collapse, causing severe flooding downstream of the Derna River.
Libyan Red Crescent spokesman Taqfiq Shukri said on September 12 that severe flooding has killed nearly 3,000 people, left about 10,000 missing and displaced over 20,000.
According to local authorities, floodwaters have submerged a quarter of the city and many people are still trapped in flooded areas. Many houses have collapsed, and most hospitals and medical facilities in the area have been completely submerged.
In the capital Tripoli, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibah announced on the same day that an aid plane carrying 14 tons of supplies and medical staff would go to Benghazi to help, although it was still difficult to get into Derna, the worst-affected area.
Tamer Ramadan, a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation to Libya to carry out relief operations, is concerned that dealing with the floods is “beyond the capacity of the government, national society and the Libyan people and requires support from international organizations.”
The head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNU), Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, said a plane carrying 14 tonnes of relief supplies including medicine, sleeping bags and other essential equipment, along with 87 medical staff, had left for the eastern port city of Benghazi to assist flood-hit areas.
Libya has been divided since the 2011 coup that toppled leader Moamer Gadhafi. There are currently two governments in the country, each with its own armed forces. The two governments have decided to observe three days of mourning to honor the victims of the disaster.
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