Floods in Libya burst dams and washed away entire cities: 2000 people died, 10 missing
In Libya, about 2000 people are dead and 10 are missing after Storm Daniel caused catastrophic flooding: two dams collapsed and water rushed into already flooded areas, reports CNN.
Photo: IStock
In the eastern city of Derna, which suffered the worst destruction, about 6000 people were missing, said Osman Abduljalil, health minister for Libya's eastern administration.
According to authorities, entire neighborhoods in the city were washed away.
On September 11, Abduljalil toured Derna. “The situation was catastrophic... Bodies are still lying in many places,” he said. “There are families who are still stuck in their homes and there are victims under the rubble... I think people have been washed out to sea.”
The rain hitting several cities in northeastern Libya is the result of a very strong low pressure system that last week caused catastrophic flooding in Greece and spread into the Mediterranean Sea. It then turned into a tropical cyclone.
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There are fears that aid efforts could be hampered by political divisions in Libya, where there has been a decade-long power struggle between two rival administrations.
The UN-backed Government of National Unity, led by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, sits in Tripoli in northwest Libya, while the east is controlled by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), which supports the parliament based there under Osama Hamad.
Derna, located about 300 kilometers east of Benghazi, falls under the control of Haftar and his eastern administration.
Dam collapse
The collapse of two dams under flood pressure caused water to rush towards Derna, causing catastrophic damage.
“Three bridges were destroyed. The water carried away entire neighborhoods, eventually dumping them into the sea,” said Ahmed Mismari, an LNA spokesman.
Houses in valleys were swept away by strong mud flows carrying vehicles and debris, said Osama Ali, head of Libya's Emergency and Ambulance Service.
Telephone lines in the city are down, complicating rescue efforts as workers are unable to reach Derna due to extensive damage. Ali said authorities did not expect the scale of the disaster.
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“Weather conditions were not well understood, wind speeds, sea water levels and precipitation were not studied, and families who might be in the path of the storm and in valleys were not evacuated,” he said.
“Libya was not prepared for such a catastrophe. We admit that there were shortcomings, although this is the first time we are faced with a disaster of this level,” Ali said.
"Unprecedented Flood"
The situation in the country is “unprecedented,” Hamad, the head of the eastern administration, said, according to a report by the state news organization Libyan News Agency (LANA).
Mismari, the LNA spokesman, said the floods had affected several cities, including al-Bayda, al-Marj, Tobruk, Takenis, al-Bayada and Batta, as well as the east coast as far as Benghazi.
Several countries have offered help as rescue teams struggle to find survivors in the rubble and are short-handed.
Turkish planes carrying humanitarian aid have arrived in Libya, Turkey's Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) reported on September 12.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country would send 168 search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Benghazi.
The US Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, announced that its special envoy, Ambassador Richard Norland, issued a formal declaration of humanitarian need.
“This will generate initial funding that the United States will provide in support of relief efforts in Libya. We are coordinating with UN partners and Libyan authorities to determine how best to direct official US assistance,” the statement on X said.
United Arab Emirates President Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the dispatch of humanitarian aid and search and rescue teams, while expressing condolences to those injured in the disaster.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also expressed his condolences to Libya. “I wish a speedy recovery to the wounded and hope that the crisis will pass quickly and Libyans will be united,” El-Sisi said in a statement on social media.
The weather system is expected to move slowly east towards northern Egypt. Rainfall in the next two days could reach 50mm - the region averages less than 10mm for the whole of September.
The storm in Libya follows deadly floods in many other parts of the globe, including Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey and Hong Kong.
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Scientists are clear that human-caused climate change is causing more storms and other extreme weather events.
Warm oceans are helping storms gain energy, and Mediterranean water temperatures are currently well above average.
This summer was the planet's hottest on record by a significant margin, and scientists warn that 2024 is likely to be even hotter.
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