In a devastating turn of events, the northeastern region of Libya has been plunged into chaos, with thousands of lives feared lost following the destructive passage of Storm Daniel. The catastrophic deluge resulted in the collapse of two dams, causing entire neighborhoods to be swept into the unforgiving sea.
Libya's eastern parliament-backed government, grappling with the horrifying aftermath, reported that more than 2,000 individuals have tragically perished, while approximately 6,000 remain missing within the severely affected city of Derna. Othman Abduljalil, the Health Minister, painted a grim picture of the situation, stating that "The situation [in Derna] was catastrophic… The bodies are still lying in many places." Speaking to Libya's Almasar TV from Derna, he pleaded for international assistance, emphasizing the urgent need for search and rescue teams.
Describing Derna as a "ghost town," Abduljalil revealed that certain areas had been cut off due to the flooding, compounding the already dire circumstances. The Libyan Red Crescent Society had previously estimated that over 300 lives were lost in Derna, as posted on social media.
Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for Libya's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), confirmed that two dams succumbed to the relentless onslaught of floodwaters. The head of Libya's Emergency and Ambulance Authority, Osama Aly, disclosed to CNN that following the dam breaches, "all of the water headed to an area near Derna, which is a mountainous coastal area."
Tragically, homes nestled in valleys were mercilessly washed away by powerful, debris-laden currents, submerging vehicles and possessions in their destructive path. The city's communication infrastructure has also been crippled, hindering rescue operations. Aly revealed that rescue workers have been unable to access Derna due to extensive destruction.
In a stark admission of ill-preparedness, Aly explained, "The weather conditions were not studied well, the seawater levels and rainfall [were not studied], the wind speeds, there was no evacuation of families that could be in the path of the storm and in valleys." He acknowledged that Libya had not encountered a catastrophe of this magnitude before and conceded to significant shortcomings in the disaster response.
Mismari, the LNA spokesperson, pointed out that the devastating floods had wreaked havoc on multiple cities, including Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, Tobruk, Takenis, Al-Bayada, and Battah, as well as the entire eastern coastline leading up to Benghazi. Libya now faces a daunting road to recovery as it grapples with the devastating consequences of Storm Daniel's unprecedented fury.