10,000 missing as floods hit Libya after Storm Daniel

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Rescuers have pulled hundreds of bodies out of eastern Libya after devastating floods devastated much of the coastal city, with local officials and aid workers warning thousands more may have died.

Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ delegation to Libya, said on Tuesday that 10,000 people were believed to be missing.

“The death toll is huge,” Ramadan told the Financial Times. “I believe the total will be in the thousands.” But he said it was too early to determine how many people had died.

The worst-affected area was the coastal city of Derna, where the storm destroyed two dams, with flooding intensifying after Storm Daniel battered the North African country, washing away buildings, homes and roads. Storm Daniel has already hit Türkiye, Greece and Bulgaria. weekend.

Libyan officials gave different confirmed death tolls. Osama Ali, spokesman for the country’s ambulance and emergency services, told the Financial Times that at least 2,300 people had died, adding that they were “still counting”.

“The whole area was wiped out,” he said. “(Derna) only has one hospital, and it’s overwhelmed.”

Hichem Chkiouat, a minister in the government that controls eastern Libya, told Reuters that more than 1,000 bodies had been found in Derna, adding that about a quarter of the city had been destroyed.

“It’s very catastrophic,” he said. “Bodies were strewn everywhere – in the sea, in valleys, under buildings.”

Ali said rescuers were struggling to reach parts of Derna because main roads had been washed out and turned into rivers.

“It’s very difficult to get in,” he added. “We need logistical support to find missing people. We need professional teams. So far, no assistance has arrived from abroad.”

On Monday, authorities declared Derna, on the Mediterranean coast east of Benghazi, a disaster area.

Faraj Najim, director of the Peace and Crisis Management Center attached to the eastern government’s foreign ministry, said the dam collapse caused floods to flow through Derna, “taking thousands of people away and burying them under mud.”

“The government says the number of missing people could reach 10,000. We think it could be more,” he added. “The area that was washed away was on the oceanfront.”

Najim said troops from the eastern Libyan National Army had arrived in the city to assist with rescue efforts, but said “they have never encountered anything like this and have not been trained to deal with such a crisis.” The city also has no electricity or communications.

Videos and images posted on social media showed water flowing through places such as Derna and Albeida, alongside destroyed buildings and overturned vehicles.

Recovery efforts may be complicated by government weakness. The oil-rich country has been plagued by chaos and conflict for years since a popular uprising in 2011 turned into civil war and ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Since then, rival factions have divided the country into a patchwork of fiefdoms. The country has competing governments in the capital, Tripoli, and in eastern Libya, which for years has been under the control of renegade general Khalifa Haftar, who leads the Libyan National Army.

This division spilled over into public institutions, leaving the country weak and divided. Western countries generally refrain from engaging with the eastern government because the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is internationally recognized.

“The country is very weak,” Ramadan said. “The infrastructure wasn’t that solid and there were still some basic services that were compromised, so they were still in the recovery phase when this hurricane hit them.”

Turkey has dispatched three cargo planes to Benghazi, transporting a total of 168 search and rescue experts as well as other aid supplies such as tents, generators, raincoats and flashlights. Neighboring Egypt said it was sending soldiers and helicopters to help with recovery efforts.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed condolences to flood victims and said Washington would support relief efforts.

“The United States is providing emergency funding to relief organizations and providing additional support in coordination with Libyan authorities and the United Nations during this difficult time,” Biden said.

“Early reports indicate that dozens of villages and towns were severely affected by the storm, causing flooding, damaging infrastructure and causing casualties,” UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya Georgette Gagnon said on Monday.

“I call on all local, national and international partners to join forces to provide emergency humanitarian assistance,” she said on X (formerly Twitter).