At least 2,300 people have died in floods that devastated the town of Derna in eastern Libya, according to emergency services, but authorities and the Red Cross fear a much higher toll on Tuesday.
Oussama Ali, spokesperson for the Libyan “Rescue and Emergency Service” under the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, told AFP that the floods caused by Storm Daniel had left “more than 2,300 dead” and around 7,000 injured. in Derna, while more than 5,000 people are missing.
He said at least 65 other people were killed in the storm in other towns and cities in eastern Libya.
Officials of the rival government in eastern Libya say that “thousands” of people have died in floods in Derna, a town of 100,000 inhabitants, and that the death toll could exceed 10,000.
According to them, the two main dams on the small river of Wadi Derna failed during the night from Sunday to Monday, causing huge mudslides, destroying bridges and sweeping away many buildings with their inhabitants on each side of the wadi. , before flowing into the Mediterranean.
An official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said Tuesday that the floods in Libya had caused an “enormous” number of deaths which could number in the thousands and 10,000 missing.
“The humanitarian needs far exceed the capacities of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacities of the government,” indicated Tamer Ramadan, during the regular UN press briefing in Geneva.
Rescuers seem overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, according to images filmed by residents of the region which circulate on social networks and show an apocalyptic landscape.
Cut roads, landslides and floods prevented help from reaching the population who had to use rudimentary means to recover bodies and extract survivors on the verge of drowning.
Derna and other towns are cut off from the rest of the world despite authorities’ efforts to restore mobile phone and internet networks.
Since the great earthquake which shook the town of al-Marj (east) in 1963, this is the worst natural disaster experienced by Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya.
Among the images most relayed by the media, some show dozens of remains wrapped in blankets or sheets, gathered in the main square of Derna awaiting their identification and burial, in Martouba, a small village located 27 km southeast of Derna.
In photos from Derna, we can see a body wrapped in a blanket placed in the back of a pick-up, mounds of debris in the streets, gutted building facades, and even overturned cars.
In certain neighborhoods, buildings and vehicles are partially engulfed by thick pools of ocher water.
Aid convoys from Tripolitania in the west were sent to Derna. The Tripoli government led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah announced the dispatch of two ambulance planes and a helicopter, 87 doctors, a team of rescuers and dog searchers as well as technicians from the National Electricity Company to try to quickly restore the disconnected power.
Rescue teams sent by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates also arrived in eastern Libya, according to authorities.
Algeria announced the sending of “significant humanitarian aid” consisting of food and medical products, tents and clothing, aboard eight military planes.
Egypt, for its part, announced that it had sent three aid planes as well as search and rescue teams.
Qatar, for its part, indicated that a first plane will arrive Tuesday evening in Benghazi with a field hospital on board as well as medical and food aid.
France has decided to deploy a field hospital to help the affected populations. “The first staff will leave this evening (Tuesday) so that everything is operational within 48 hours,” according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
US President Joe Biden announced the sending of “emergency funds to relief organizations” and coordination with the Libyan authorities and the UN to provide additional support.
His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, for his part, indicated that his country was ready “to provide the necessary assistance”.
“The EU is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide support,” said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrel.
12/09/2023 20:48:51 – Derna (Libye) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP