Around 3,000 people have died while 10,000 are missing and 20,000 people have been displaced since heavy floods have hit eastern Libya, multiple international news outlets have said.
Aid is being sent to Benghazi via plane carrying 14 tonnes of supplies and medical personnel even though the hard-hit areas are still difficult to reach.
Additionally, relief convoys are being sent from west to east in divided Libya as the eastern region has been deemed a disaster zone by the internationally recognised Tripoli government.
However, according to Al-Jazeera, “Authorities have struggled to reach Derna, because roads leading to the city are destroyed or cut off by flooding.” Moreover, communications with the city have been broken off, hindering information collection on casualties and damage.
According to the Benghazi administration, more than 1,000 bodies have been recovered from the Mediterranean city of Derna.
Storm Daniel
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Monday, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Two dams on the Wadi Derna River were destroyed and consequently, millions of cubic metres of water swept through the area.
Al-Jazeera also spoke with National Council on Libya-US Relations who stated that “About 4sq km [1.5sq miles] at the heart of the city have been eroded completely.”
Moreover, Tamer Ramadan, a member of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation to Libya, referred to the issue of dealing with the flood that is “beyond the capabilities of the government, of the national society, of the people” and that assistance from international actors would be needed.
Benghazi Minister of Civil Aviation Hichem Chkiouat managed to visit Derna and spoke with Reuters, “Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings.”
“I am not exaggerating when I say that 25 percent of the city has disappeared,” he added.
