2023-09-12 10:40:49
Floods in Libya
A first assessment estimates more than 2,300 deaths
The Red Cross is warning of the dramatic fallout from Storm Daniel in Libya, where deaths are likely in the thousands.
PublishedSeptember 12, 2023, 12:40 p.m.
The figures are still uncertain at the moment.
The floods in Libya have caused an “enormous” number of deaths which could number in the thousands and 10,000 missing, an official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday. In the city of Derna, the death toll would be more than 2,300, according to the spokesperson for the emergency services under the internationally recognized Tripoli government.
“The humanitarian needs far exceed the capacities of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacities of the government,” explained Mr. Ramadan, who spoke live from Tunis. “This is why the government in the east has launched an appeal for international aid and we too will soon launch an emergency appeal,” insisted Mr. Ramadan.
Images of the terrible floods.
A city in mourning
In the eastern city of Derna alone, floods have killed more than 2,300 people, said the spokesperson for the emergency services under the internationally recognized Tripoli government.
There are around 7,000 injured, while more than 5,000 people are missing.
According to officials, the two main dams on the small river of Wadi Derna failed overnight from Sunday to Monday, causing huge mudslides, destroying bridges and sweeping away many buildings and their inhabitants on either side of the river. wadi, before flowing into the Mediterranean. country where two governments are vying for power, the two main dams on the small river of Wadi Derna failed during the night from Sunday to Monday, causing enormous mudslides, destroying the bridges and carrying many buildings with their inhabitants on each side of the wadi, before emptying into the Mediterranean.
On X, former Twitter, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jagan Chapagain, regretted the death of three Libyan Red Crescent volunteers. They are said to have died helping victims of the terrible deadly floods in Libya.
Extreme amounts of water
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, notably the coastal towns of Jabal al-Akhdar in the north-east of the country, but also Benghazi where a curfew was declared and schools were closed. closed.
Described by experts as an “extreme phenomenon in terms of the quantity of water that fell,” Storm Daniel has already caused at least 27 deaths these last days in GreeceTürkiye and Bulgaria.
Eastern Libya is home to the main oil fields and terminals. The National Oil Company (NOC) declared a “state of maximum alert” and “suspended flights” between production sites, where activity was drastically reduced.
Italy will provide assistance
Italy will provide aid to Libya, announced Tuesday on X, ex-Twitter, the head of Italian diplomacy Antonio Tajani.
The Italian Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, also indicated on Tuesday on X that he had “immediately offered Defense assistance for the flooded areas”. The head of government Giorgia Meloni, for her part, expressed “Italy’s solidarity with the families of the victims and the Libyan people”.
(AFP)
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