A chilling video from Libya depicts streets suddenly turning into raging torrents during Storm Daniel.
The clip, thought to be from Derna, shows tranquil streets at first. However, within 25 seconds, floodwaters rush in, carrying nearly 20 vehicles and a significant amount of debris. The death toll from these flash floods might reach 20,000, officials warned.
Many victims have been interred in mass graves in Derna. The Libyan Red Crescent reported the city’s death toll at 11,300, with additional deaths throughout eastern Libya. This catastrophe followed after two dams near Derna burst, leading to devastating floodwaters tearing through the city and causing widespread destruction.
According to Ossama Ali, an ambulance center spokesperson, thousands are still unaccounted for. Derna’s mayor, Abdel Moneim al-Ghaithi, fears the death count in his city might reach the 20,000 mark due to the extent of areas affected.
Petteri Taalas of the UN’s World Meteorological Organization emphasized that a majority of these deaths could have been prevented with proper warning systems. However, due to political division and unrest, essential services in Libya aren’t functioning optimally.
The country’s split governance has led to infrastructural neglect. The recently collapsed dams, constructed in the 1970s, hadn’t been maintained for years. As per the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, the floods have uprooted around 30,000 people in Derna, with many more displaced in other eastern regions.
Eastern Libya’s health minister, Othman Abduljaleel, stated that over 3,000 bodies had been buried by the following day, and an additional 2,000 were awaiting burial. Many were placed in mass graves outside Derna.
Other impacted regions include Bayda, Susa, Um Razaz, and Marj, which saw approximately 170 deaths. The deceased included 84 Egyptians, with over 70 from a single village in Beni Suef, and several Sudanese migrants.
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