At least 150 people have died after a powerful storm caused severe flooding in eastern Libya, an official has said.
Storm Daniel made landfall in the North African nation over the weekend, prompting authorities to declare a state of extreme emergency. Last week, it killed a dozen people in Europe.
Seven Libyan army personnel have gone missing during ongoing rescue efforts.
Officials in eastern Libya have imposed a curfew, while schools and shops have been ordered to close.
Storm Daniel has affected the eastern cities of Benghazi, Sousse, Derna and Al-Marj.
“At least 150 people were killed as a result of flooding and torrential rains… in Derna, the Jabal al-Akhdar region and the suburbs of Al-Marj,” Mohamed Massoud, a spokesman for the Benghazi-based administration in Libya, told French news agency AFP.
The head of Benghazi’s chapter of the Red Crescent humanitarian network said at least 150 deaths occurred in Derna alone, according to news agency Reuters.
Reports said two dams in Derna – home to approximately 100,000 – have collapsed, submerging much of the area and drowning some of its residents.
Authorities have declared the port a “disaster city”.
The western city of Misrata was also among those hit by the floods.
Unverified videos of the storm have been circulating online, including a clip showing torrents of floodwater sweeping a man away. Other footage shows drivers trapped on their car roofs.
Alongside schools and shops, four major oil ports closed because of the storm.
While the Benghazi-based administration has been dealing with matters in the east of the country, the rival, internationally recognised government in the capital, Tripoli, has also been involved.
Its Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeiba, said on Sunday that he had directed all state agencies to “immediately deal” with the damage and floods, while the United Nations in Libya said it was following the storm closely and would “provide urgent relief assistance in support of response efforts at local and national levels”.
Libya has been divided between two rival administrations since 2014, following the killing of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Both governments declared three days of mourning after Storm Daniel swept in.
Last week, it struck Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, killing more than a dozen people.
It is is expected to reach western Egypt on Monday.
Climate scientists have warned that global warming means more water evaporating during the summer, leading to more intense storms.
Source – BBC
– Agencies
