At least 150 killed as devastating Storm Daniel sweeps eastern Libya
Baku, September 11, AZERTAC
Two thousand people are feared dead in Derna, after a powerful storm and floods hit the city in eastern Libya, according to Al Jazeera.
That is according to the prime minister of a self-proclaimed government based in eastern Libya, Ossama Hamad. He added on Monday that thousands were missing, but did not cite where his figures had come from.
The Red Crescent in Benghazi has confirmed that Storm Daniel has killed at least 150 people dead in Derna city.
The head of the organisation in Benghazi, Kais Fhakeri, told Al Jazeera that the death toll could rise to 250, after water levels in the city rose as high as three metres (10 feet).
Two dams have also collapsed in the city, the Derna municipal council has said.
“The city of Derna is completely surrounded by mountains, and these dams collapsed,” said Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina. “Some experts are saying more than 30 million cubic square metres of water was dumped into the city, and we’re starting to see pictures of entire neighbourhoods destroyed.
Footage on social media showed people stranded on the roofs of their vehicles as Storm Daniel hit the cities of Benghazi, Susa, Bayda, al-Marj and Derna on Sunday and Monday
“We were asleep, and when we woke up, we found water besieging the house. We are inside and trying to get out,” Derna resident Ahmed Mohamed said on Monday.
Outside of Derna, at least 12 people have been reported dead in the eastern town of Bayda, the town’s main medical centre said. Another seven people were reported dead in the coastal town of Susa in northeastern Libya, according to the Ambulance and Emergency Authority. Seven others were reported dead in the towns of Shahatt and Omar al-Mokhtar, the minister said.
One other person was confirmed dead on Sunday. The man was stuck in his car and surrounded by flooding in the eastern town of al-Marj, according to Walid al-Arfi, spokesperson for the emergency response agency in eastern Libya.
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