Image: AFP
There could be “thousands” of deaths, organization representative Tamer Ramadan said in a video conference on Tuesday. “Based on our independent information, we confirm that the number of missing people is approximately 10,000.” There had previously been contradictory information from the civil war country.
Experts urged rapid international help. Turkey has now organized the dispatch of rescue workers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the online platform X (formerly Twitter) that flights had been organized with rescue teams including lifeboats, tents and supplies on board. The EU also offered help. “We are ready to immediately support our partners on the ground,” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Janez Lenarcic on X on Tuesday. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell made similar comments.
There was initially no verifiable information on fatalities. However, the government in the east of the country fears thousands of deaths. The prime minister of one of the rival governments in the civil war country, Osama Hammad, told the Al-Massar television channel on Monday that more than 2,000 people were feared dead. Thousands more people in the country with almost seven million inhabitants are missing.
According to authorities, more than 1,000 dead were recovered in the massively affected city of Darna alone. “The situation is very catastrophic. There are bodies everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings,” said Aviation Minister of the government in power in the east, Hichem Chkiuat, on Tuesday. He expects the final number of victims to be “very, very high.” “I’m not exaggerating when I say that 25 percent of the city has disappeared.” Many buildings collapsed. More than 300 victims in Darna were buried in mass graves, the Libyan portal Babwat Al-Wasat reported on Tuesday.
Heaviest rainfall in 40 years
The government in the capital Tripoli under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba spoke of the heaviest rainfall in more than 40 years. According to the local council, the situation in Darna was “out of control”. Two dams are said to have burst there. According to the emergency service, rescue measures were difficult. They rely on the support of helicopters. Power and internet connection are interrupted. The affected regions were declared “disaster areas”.
Storm “Daniel” hit Libya on Sunday. The UN humanitarian coordinator in Libya, Georgette Gagnon, called on the international community to provide rapid assistance. Initial reports indicate that dozens of villages and towns have been severely affected, Gagnon wrote on the X platform. According to the emergency services, the northeast is particularly affected.
A civil war broke out in Libya after the fall of long-time ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. Numerous militias are still fighting for influence in the oil-rich state in North Africa. Two hostile governments, each with one seat in the east and one in the west, are currently fighting for power. All diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully have so far failed. The conflict is being further fueled by foreign states.
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Source: Nachrichten
