ALBAWABA - With 10,000 still reported missing, the death toll has surpassed 6,500 in the city of Derna alone. The storm's devastation has left thousands of Libyans in a state of shock and sadness, as a number of cities suffer from the catastrophic aftermath of Storm Daniel.
Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Tamer Ramadan said that the death toll is likely to be higher. During a UN meeting in Geneva, Ramadan said via videoconference that at least 10,000 individuals remained missing in Libya. He then stated that almost 40,000 people had been displaced as the country continued to fight the catastrophe.
Spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA) Ahmed Mismari said in a televised press conference earlier yesterday that "the disaster came after dams above Derna had collapsed, sweeping whole neighborhoods with their residents into the sea".
Libyans took to social media to mourn the catastrophic aftermath their cities suffered following the disastrous Storm Daniel. One posted a number of pictures quoted: "Here there was once a city called Derna".
Official reports said that 25% of the city of Derna had completely perished, aerial photos and videos were posted online showing the severe damage the city suffered, as complete neighbourhoods were washed into the sea with almost no hope of retrieving the bodies of those who drifted into the sea.
Minister of Civil Aviation in the administration that controls the east Hichem Abu Chkiouat, told Reuters by phone shortly after visiting Derna: "Bodies are lying everywhere - in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings. I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed".
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said emergency response teams had been mobilized to help on the ground.
Othman Abduljaleel, eastern Libya’s health minister, said that many bodies were believed trapped under rubble or had been washed out into the Mediterranean Sea.
"We were stunned by the amount of destruction ... the tragedy is very significant and beyond the capacity of Derna and the government," Abduljaleel told AP news.
In a statement issued Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that his administration is sending emergency funds to relief agencies and is collaborating with Libyan authorities and the UN to provide additional aid.
"Jill and I express our heartfelt condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones in Libya's devastating floods," he added.
The storm also hit other parts of eastern Libya, notably the town of Bayda, where 50 people were killed. According to footage released by the Medical Center of Bayda on Facebook, the main hospital was flooded and patients had to be evacuated.
