At least 27 people were feared dead Monday after Mediterranean storm Daniel caused devastating floods over the weekend in the North African nation.
One of the country’s leaders however said as many as 2,000 or more are feared dead. Prime Minister Ossama Hamad of the east Libyan government said in a phone interview with al-Masar television station Monday, that 2,000 were feared dead in the eastern city of Derna, and thousands of others are reported missing.
Hamad said the floods have cleared entire neighbourhoods in Derna, which has been declared a disaster zone.
Health minister of the east Libya government, Othman Abduljaleel announced a death toll earlier Monday of 27 in a telephone interview on the Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al-Arabiya. Abduljaleel added that the tally didn’t include the city of Derna, where the situation was less clear as of Monday afternoon.
About a dozen persons in the eastern town of Bayda, and another seven people were reported dead in the coastal town of Susa in northeastern Libya, according to the Ambulance and Emergency Authority.
The minister added that seven persons were killed in Shahatt and Omar al-Mokhtar. The Libyan Red Crescent said it lost contact with one of its workers as he attempted to help a stuck family in Bayda.
Derna, which was the worst hit, has become inaccessible and local media reported that the situation there was catastrophic with no electricity or communications.
The prime minister announced Monday a three-day of mourning and ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half-mast.
Controlling eastern and western Libya, Khalifa Hifter deployed troops to help residents in Benghazi and other eastern towns. Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesperson for Hifter’s forces, said they lost contact with five troops who were helping besieged families in Bayda.
Storm Danial is expected to land in parts of west Egypt on Monday, and the country’s meteorological authorities warned about possible rain and inclement climate.
