Libyan Flooding Leaves 10K Reported Missing
Reports out of eastern Libya state there are 10,000 people missing due to deadly floods.
My heart goes out to the people of Libya who are going through catastrophic flooding caused by Storm Daniel.
More than 2000 people killed in the floods, 6000 missing. From Israel, we pray for you. 🇱🇾🇮🇱 #Libya #StormDaniel pic.twitter.com/J1aUBfdVth
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) September 12, 2023
According to the New York Post, rescue teams have been working to recover bodies and search for survivors.
Catastrophic flooding was caused after Mediterranean storm Daniel struck the area. The city of Derna was hit the hardest after dams broke and entire neighborhoods washed away, according to reports.
An estimated 2,000 people have died in the disaster, while some 10,000 people are still unaccounted for.
The Libyan envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Tamer Ramadan described the situation, stating that it is “as devastating as the situation in Morocco,” during a videoconference U.N. briefing in Geneva from Tunisia, the Post reported.
Morocco is currently working to clean up wreckage from the deadliest earthquake to strike the nation in 60 years, per the IJR.
The New York Post also reported Ossama Hamad, the prime minister of the eastern Libyan government, noted the flooding has caused destruction far beyond the capabilities of his country.
Libya is a divided nation. The eastern and western areas are separately governed by rivaling entities.
Because of this ongoing conflict, the infrastructure was already unstable and had fallen into disrepair before the flood, reports said.
One resident, Ahmed Abdalla, recalled the sound of the dams exploding under the pressure. He noted a wall of water was unleashed and “erased everything in its way.”
There were 200 victims buried Monday alone, and first responders, government employees, and volunteers have been working to find bodies and lay them to rest.
Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have all pledged to offer aid as hundreds of families are now displaced.
The U.S. Embassy contacted the Libyan authorities and United Nations officials to seek out the best method of delivering aid, and the Health Ministry in Tripoli noted that an airplane had been sent with 14 tons of medical equipment, medicine, and other necessities, along with health care workers.
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