Tripoli, Sept. 12, (dpa/GNA) – Rescue teams were racing against time on Tuesday in Libya’s eastern regions which were devastated by a powerful two-day storm that killed thousands, local authorities said.
Hundreds of people have been buried in the particularly hard-hit city of Derna, which is approximately 883 kilometres east of the capital Tripoli.
More than 300 victims were buried in mass graves, the Libyan website Babwat al-Wasat reported on Tuesday.
Videos and photos posted on social media showed a catastrophic scale of destruction in the coastal city as a result of the rains, with homes and cars destroyed in streets flooded with mud.
The cities of al-Bayda, Derna, al-Marj, and Soussa, and the towns of Takenes, and al-Batta, were heavily hit as a result of the torrential rains and winds that struck the region, Osama Ali, a spokesman for the ambulance and emergency services said on Monday.
The Libyan Red Crescent said thousands are still missing and it is still difficult to determine their fate.
So far the exact death toll cannot be determined, Health Minister Othman Abdel Jalil was quoted as saying by the Libya’s Al Massar television.
“Many victims were stranded, and bodies were scattered in many areas of the city of Derna, which was isolated from its surroundings… making it difficult to accurately determine the large numbers of deaths and missing people,” he said.
Two governments are vying for power in Libya. One is based in Tripoli, in the west, and is led by Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh. The other is in the east, and is supported by Khalifa Haftar.
Jalil, the health minister, called on “brotherly and friendly countries” to extend a helping hand and provide rescue teams.
Turkey said early Tuesday that it would send rescue workers to Libya to help in rescue operations in areas which has been hardly hit by powerful Storm Daniel. Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria are also sending help.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has directed to send urgent relief aid and search and rescue teams to Libya to support its efforts in mitigating the repercussions of the floods caused by Daniel.
The European Union has also offered to send aid to Libya, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The “EU is following the situation closely and stands ready to provide support,” he wrote.
Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. Countless militias are still fighting for power and influence in the oil-rich country. The conflict is further fuelled by foreign states.
All diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict peacefully have failed so far.
GNA