CAIRO (AP) — Mediterranean Storm Daniel caused devastating flooding in Libya, sweeping away entire neighborhoods and destroying homes in several coastal towns in the east of the North African country. It was feared that up to 2,000 people had died, one of the country’s leading politicians said on Monday.
The destruction was greatest in Derna, a city once held by Islamic extremists in the chaos that has gripped Libya for more than a decade and whose infrastructure is crumbling and inadequate. Libya remains divided between two rival governments, one in the east and one in the west, each backed by militias and foreign governments.
Health authorities said the confirmed death toll from weekend flooding stood at 61 late Monday. But the list did not include Derna, which had become inaccessible, and many of the thousands missing there were believed to have been swept away by the water.
A video posted online by city residents showed widespread devastation. Entire residential areas were destroyed along a river that flows from the mountains through the city center. Multi-story residential buildings that once stood far from the river partially collapsed into the mud.
In a telephone interview with al-Masar television on Monday, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad of the eastern Libyan government said 2,000 people were feared dead in Derna and thousands were missing. He said Derna had been declared a disaster area.
Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for the country’s east-based armed forces, told a news conference that the death toll in Derna had exceeded 2,000. He said there were between 5,000 and 6,000 missing person reports. Al-Mosmari attributed the disaster to the collapse of two nearby dams, which caused a deadly flash flood.
Since a 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed longtime ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya has lacked a central government, and the resulting lawlessness has led to a decline in investment in the country’s roads and public services the private construction sector was only minimally regulated. The country is now divided between rival governments in the east and west, each supported by a range of militias.
Derna itself, along with the city of Sirte, was controlled for years by extremist groups, at times by those pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group until they were driven out in 2018 by forces loyal to the east-based government.
At least 46 people were dead in the eastern city of Bayda, said Abdel-Rahim Mazek, head of the city’s main medical center. According to the Ambulance and Emergency Authority, another seven people were reported dead in the coastal town of Susa in northeastern Libya. Seven more were reported dead in the towns of Shahatt and Omar al-Mokhtar, Health Minister Ossama Abduljaleel said. One person was reported dead in the town of Marj on Sunday.
The Libyan Red Crescent said three of its staff died while helping families in Derna. The group previously said it had lost contact with one of its employees when he tried to help a stranded family in Bayda. Dozens more have been reported missing and authorities fear they may have died in floods that destroyed homes and other property in several towns in eastern Libya, local media reported.
Local media said the situation in Derna was catastrophic as there was no electricity or communications.
Essam Abu Zeriba, the interior minister in the eastern Libyan government, said more than 5,000 people were expected to be missing in Derna. He said many of the victims were swept toward the Mediterranean.
“The situation is tragic,” he said in a telephone interview with the Saudi satellite news channel Al-Arabiya. He called on local and international agencies to quickly help the city.
Georgette Gagnon, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Libya, said initial reports showed that dozens of villages and towns were “severely affected … with widespread flooding, damage to infrastructure and deaths.”
“I am deeply saddened by the severe impact of Storm Daniel on the country… I call on all local, national and international partners to come together to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of eastern Libya,” she wrote. Platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Over the weekend, Libyans shared footage on social media showing flooded homes and streets in many areas of eastern Libya. They pleaded for help as floodwaters left people trapped in their homes and vehicles.
Ossama Hamad, the prime minister of the eastern Libyan government, declared Derna a disaster area after heavy rains and floods destroyed much of the town, which lies in the delta of the small Wadi Derna on Libya’s east coast. The prime minister also announced three days of national mourning and ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half-staff.
Cmdr. controls eastern and western Libya. Khalifa Hifter sent troops to help residents in Benghazi and other eastern cities. Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for Hifter forces, said they had lost contact with five troops who were helping besieged families in Bayda.
Foreign governments sent messages of support on Monday evening. According to the UAE state news agency WAM, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, said his country would send humanitarian assistance and search and rescue teams to eastern Libya.
Turkey, which supports the country’s government based in Tripoli in the west, also expressed its condolences, as did neighboring countries Algeria and Egypt, as well as Iraq.
Storm Daniel is expected to reach parts of western Egypt on Monday and the country’s weather authorities warned of possible rainfall and bad weather.
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