Around 2000 lives are feared lost following severe flooding in Libya due to unprecedented rainfall. As of late Monday, health authorities had confirmed 61 casualties from the weekend’s flooding, not accounting for Derna, which had become inaccessible. There’s widespread concern that many of the missing, potentially numbering in the thousands, were also victims of the raging waters.
Deadly storm winds and intense floods have struck Libya over the past two days, with estimates of fatalities varying from hundreds to thousands, as reported by senior officials on Monday.
Osama Hamad, the head of Libya’s eastern government, disclosed that more than 2,000 people had perished in the coastal city of Derna, with thousands still unaccounted for. The head of the Red Crescent aid group in the region anticipated that Derna’s death toll could reach 250.Distressing footage circulated on social media and was broadcast by Almostkbal TV in eastern Libya, showing individuals stranded on vehicle rooftops, desperately seeking assistance as floodwaters engulfed cars.
Osama Hamad emphasized the scale of the tragedy, stating, “The missing individuals number in the thousands, and the deceased exceed 2,000. Entire neighborhoods in Derna have vanished, along with their residents, swept away by the relentless waters.”A Mediterranean storm named Daniel inflicted catastrophic flooding in Libya, resulting in the obliteration of entire communities and widespread damage to homes in multiple coastal towns in North Africa’s eastern region. On Monday, one of the country’s leaders expressed fear that as many as 2,000 people may have tragically lost their lives.