Libya Flood Death Toll Rises to 6,000... Could Exceed 10,000

The death toll from the massive floods in Libya, North Africa, has risen to 6,000. With at least 10,000 people missing, there are concerns that the death toll could exceed 10,000.

The streets of an eastern city in Libya, North Africa, were flooded on the 11th (local time) due to a storm.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to local media including Al Jazeera on the 13th (local time), a government official stated that the death toll in Derna, an eastern Libyan port city, has risen to 6,000 as of that morning due to the floods. Abu Chiquat, Minister of Civil Aviation of the eastern Libyan government led by the Libyan National Army (LNA), said, "Dozens of bodies are being washed ashore from the sea." The eastern Libyan government had counted 5,300 deaths until the previous day, and Minister Chiquat said the death toll could double from there.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that Derna's infrastructure suffered severe damage from the floods, resulting in at least 30,000 displaced people. The IOM stated this on X (formerly Twitter) and added that 6,085 displaced people were reported in other areas including Benghazi.

On the 10th, Tropical Storm Daniel struck eastern Libya, causing two dams on the outskirts of Derna, a port city with a population of 100,000, to collapse and trigger massive flooding. The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds, causing a dam about 12 km from Derna to break, and the rushing water swept through the valley, bursting a second dam closer to Derna, leading to the disaster.

Although the civil war following dictator Muammar Gaddafi's fall has been in a ceasefire state, Libya remains in anarchy due to the failure to establish a unified government. This unprecedented catastrophe has prompted support from countries around the world. UN aid teams have arrived on site to assist ongoing relief efforts, and the United States has announced cooperation with local authorities and the UN for relief activities in Libya. Neighboring Egypt has dispatched troops and equipment for rescue and search support, and Tunisia, Algeria, T?rkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also contributed aid.

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime following the 2011 'Arab Spring' revolution, Libya has remained in a state of anarchy with the eastern Libyan National Army controlling the east and the internationally supported Government of National Unity (GNU) controlling the western capital Tripoli, leading to ongoing conflict.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.