The floods and torrential rains that hit cities in eastern Libya due to Storm Daniel have had catastrophic effects on the country. Some areas have been turned into rubble, and entire neighbourhoods have been engulfed, resulting in the death toll rising to more than 3,000 people.
In a shocking statement, Libyan media quoted the Minister of Health saying that he expects the number of storm victims to reach 10,000, with about thousands of people missing.
Libyan officials also reported that the death toll in Derna city due to the storm has exceeded 2,000 deaths.
Libya’s Minister of Health in the interim government, Othman Abdul Jalil, stated in an interview with local media that “the number of missing people is in the thousands, and it is expected that the number of missing people will reach around 100,000.”
He also confirmed that “the situation in the city of Derna is becoming increasingly tragic, and there are no final statistics on the number of casualties.”
He noted that “access to many neighbourhoods has been hindered” and called on “friendly countries to assist in rescuing what remains of Derna in mountainous areas.” Libyan media reported the return of electricity and internet services to some areas in Derna after disruptions caused by the floods.
The Libyan House of Representatives announced that it has called for an emergency session on Thursday regarding Storm Daniel that struck the country.
The parliament stated that the session will be held in Benghazi to “take the necessary urgent measures to address the consequences of this disaster.”
The Libyan Presidential Council declared the Barqa region a disaster zone due to the floods and requested assistance from neighbouring countries, friendly nations, and international organizations for the affected areas.
In a statement, the Libyan Presidential Council declared Derna, Shahhat, and Al-Bayda in Barqa, in the east, as disaster areas due to the floods, calling on neighbouring friendly countries and international organizations to provide assistance and support.