In a tragic turn of events, authorities have declared a state of extreme emergency in a Libyan city after it was ravaged by floods. Schools and stores have been closed, and a curfew has been imposed in response to the crisis.
Officials from the eastern administration of Libya have reported a staggering death toll of at least 3,000 people due to the floods triggered by Storm Daniel. This destructive storm breached two dams along the Derna river, leading to catastrophic consequences.
The scale of the tragedy is further compounded by the fact that thousands are still missing, with estimates ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 individuals. This staggering number of missing persons is attributed to a colossal wall of water that swept away entire neighborhoods, leaving devastation in its wake.
Hichem Chkiouat, the minister of civil aviation and a member of the emergency committee, conveyed the grim situation, stating, “The number of bodies recovered in Derna is more than 1,000. It is very disastrous. Bodies are lying everywhere.” He expressed his anticipation that the final death toll will be “really, really big.”
Libya, already divided between east and west, has seen its public services deteriorate significantly over more than a decade of power struggles and instability.
Storm Daniel, which had previously wreaked havoc in Greece, made its devastating presence felt over the Mediterranean, inundating roads, destroying buildings in Derna, and impacting other coastal settlements, including Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city.
