Authorities in eastern Libya said at least 2,000 people were killed and thousands more missing after a massive flood ravaged the town of Derna following a strong storm and rains.
Ahmed Mismari, spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA) which controls eastern Libya, told a televised news conference that the disaster occurred after the collapse of dams above Derna , “carrying entire neighborhoods with their inhabitants into the sea”.
Mismari estimates the number of missing between 5,000 and 6,000.
Earlier on Monday, the head of the Red Crescent aid group in the region said the death toll in Derna was at 150 and was expected to reach 250. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports. two digits.
Libya is politically divided between East and West and public services have collapsed since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that sparked years of conflict. The internationally recognized government in Tripoli does not control the eastern areas.
In Tripoli, the three-member Presidential Council, which serves as head of state in the divided country, has appealed for help from the international community. “We call on brotherly and friendly countries and international organizations to provide assistance,” the statement said.
Osama Hamad, head of a parallel administration based in the east, told local television that more than 2,000 people had been killed and thousands more missing.
After hitting Greece last week, Storm Daniel swept across the Mediterranean on Sunday, flooding roads and destroying buildings in Derna, and hitting other settlements along the coast, including Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city. .
Videos from Derna showed a wide torrent flowing through the city center where a much narrower stream previously flowed. Ruined buildings stood on either side.
Almostkbal television station in eastern Libya broadcast images showing people stranded on the roofs of their vehicles calling for help and water sweeping away cars.
“The missing number in the thousands and the dead exceed 2,000,” Osama Hamad told al-Masar television. “Entire neighborhoods of Derna have disappeared, along with their inhabitants (…) swept away by the waters.”
Mismari said seven LNA members died in the floods.
SURROUNDED BY WATER
Saleh al-Obaidi, a resident of Derna, said he managed to flee with his family, although houses in a valley near the town collapsed.
“People were sleeping, waking up and finding their homes surrounded by water,” he told Reuters.
Ahmed Mohamed, another resident, said: “We were sleeping and when we woke up, we found water besieging the house. We are inside and trying to get out.
Witnesses said the water level reached three meters (10 feet).
West of Derna, images showed a collapsed road between the port city of Sousse and Shahat, home to the Greek-founded and UNESCO-listed archaeological site of Cyrene.
Libya’s eastern-based parliament declared three days of mourning. Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, prime minister of Tripoli’s interim government, also declared three days of mourning in all affected towns, calling them “disaster areas.”
Four main oil ports in Libya – Ras Lanouf, Zueitina, Brega and Es Sidra – were closed on Saturday evening for three days, two oil engineers told Reuters.
Search and rescue operations were underway, witnesses said. Authorities declared a state of extreme emergency, closed schools and shops and imposed a curfew.
In Tripoli, the interim government has ordered all state agencies to “immediately address” damage and flooding in eastern cities, but the administration has no influence in the east.
However, Dbeibah’s government works closely with the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country.
The United Nations in Libya said it was monitoring the storm closely and would “provide emergency humanitarian assistance to support response efforts at local and national levels.”
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani ordered the government to send aid to the affected area in eastern Libya, Qatar’s official news agency reported.