Rising number of people killed by flooding in Libya

At least 5,300 people are believed to be killed and 10,000 are still missing, according to the eastern government of the divided nation.

At least 5,300 people have died as a result of the catastrophic floods brought on by the severe Mediterranean storm that pounded Libya on Monday, destroying dams and washing entire neighbourhoods into the sea.

The eastern administration of the divided nation, based in Tobruk, published the latest dead toll through its interior ministry on Tuesday, according to state-run media outlet LANA, and estimated that 10,000 people were still missing. In the coastal city of Derna in northeastern Libya, up to 6,000 people are purportedly missing.

Two dams were destroyed by the storm, flooding Derna, which was already under water. The wall of water rushed across a wadi into Derna. Numerous structures in the city, including entire neighbourhoods, were destroyed by the flood. There are roughly 125,000 people living in Derna.

Reuters was informed on Tuesday by civil aviation minister Hichem Abu Chkiouat that “bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings.” I’m not making this up when I tell that 25% of the city has vanished. There have been countless collapsed structures.

According to reports, hospitals in Derna have been shut down, and their mortuaries are overflowing. Dr. Anas Barghathy, a volunteer in Derna, told CNN that dead bodies are often abandoned on the sidewalks near mortuaries. There are no on-site emergency services, he declared. The collection of the decaying bodies is currently being done by workers.

To aid in the relief effort, the Turkish government sent 168 search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Benghazi. France and Italy are two of the European nations who have vowed to help Libya.

Three days prior to the disaster, an earthquake severely damaged Morocco, another nation in North Africa. Its death toll has surpassed 2,900, marking it the nation’s deadliest earthquake since at least 1960.

Libya’s fragmented government may impede recovery attempts. Following the death of longstanding leader Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-led bombing campaign in 2011, the nation of North Africa has been divided into two rival administrations since 2014. In March 2021, the Government of National Unity (GNU), which was supported by the UN, assumed control over Tripoli. Operating from Tobruk is an opposition government supported by the Libyan parliament. The storm on Monday had the most severe effects in the east.