Libya authorities say two dams collapsed as a result of a devastating flood that hit the city of Derna in eastern Libya, killing at least 2,000 people and leaving thousands more missing.
The two dams above Derna collapsed after a severe storm and heavy rain, according to Ahmed Mismari, spokesman for the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), which governs eastern Libya.
He claimed that when the dams collapsed, “the entire neighborhoods with their residents were swept into the sea.”
Mismari estimated there were 5000–6000 people still unaccounted for and added seven LNA members had perished in the flood.
He claimed that Benghazi, Libya’s second-most populous city, was among the numerous cities along the eastern coast that had been impacted by the floods.
Following a NATO military alliance bombing campaign led by the United States in 2011, Libya descended into deadly chaos with the overthrow and death of its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Since then, Libya has been split into an east-west government that is recognized by the UN and a western government that is not.
The leader of a parallel eastern-based administration, Osama Hamad, stated, “The dead exceed 2,000, and the number of missing is in the thousands.”
“The residents of entire neighborhoods in Derna have vanished.” swept away by the water,” he said on Monday to al-Masar TV.
Following the dam collapse, Osama Aly, the head of Libya’s Emergency and Ambulance authority, explained that “all of the water headed to an area near Derna, which is a mountainous coastal area.”
According to Aly, strong muddy currents that carried vehicles and debris carried homes in valleys away.
Rescue efforts have been hampered by the city’s downed phone lines, which prevent workers from reaching Derna due to the extensive damage.
The authorities weren’t ready for the scope of the catastrophe, according to Aly, who earlier told the Al Hurra channel.
“Libya was unprepared for such a disaster. That degree of catastrophe has never before occurred there. Even though this is the first time we have faced such a catastrophe, we are admitting there were shortcomings, he said.
As rescue teams diligently search the rubble and debris for survivors, several nations have expressed their condolences and offered assistance to Libya.
In a post on X, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya stated that it was closely monitoring the emergency brought on by severe weather in the country’s eastern region.
The persistent effects of a powerful low-pressure system, officially named Storm Daniel by the national meteorological services in southeast Europe, are what are responsible for the rain that was experienced over the weekend.
Before transforming into a tropical cyclone and causing hazardous conditions in the Mediterranean Sea and coastal regions, this storm caused severe flooding in Greece.
The storm’s remnants are currently affecting northern Libya and are anticipated to gradually move eastward toward northern Egypt.
A significant increase from the average of less than 10 mm observed in this region throughout September, the forecasted rainfall for the next two days could exceed 50 mm.
