Libya’s government, appointed by the House of Representatives, has declared a state of emergency in the city of Sabha and surrounding southwestern areas, announced Osama Hammad, the designated prime minister.
This decision comes in response to catastrophic floods that struck southern Libya.
According to Libya’s Al-Wasat TV, Hammad has initiated the formation of an emergency and rapid response committee to tackle the aftermath of the floods that ravaged these regions last night, resulting in casualties and injuries.
The Sabha Municipal Council reported two fatalities and 33 injuries due to heavy rains that recently pelted the city.
“Following emergency operations, the number of injured has reached 33, with two confirmed deaths,” stated the council.
A correspondent for “Sputnik” in Libya reported on Sunday that two people were killed and 25 others injured due to heavy rains in Sabha, located in the extreme south of the country.
A local source told “Sputnik” that the heavy rainfall lasted for only about an hour, yet it caused several buildings to collapse and others to flood in various residential areas of the city, including Al-Tayuri, 85, Sukrah, and Al-Qardah areas.
The source further indicated that the city’s infrastructure was unprepared for such a volume of rainfall, leading to complete street closures and a city-wide power outage due to rising water levels.
The “Sputnik” correspondent noted that the city’s security directorate urged citizens to stay away from areas with electrical wires, to keep children off the waterlogged streets, and to report any incidents caused by the rainwater.
The reasons behind the clashes remain unclear, but local sources indicated that forces from the Western Coastal Military Zone entered Camp 27 to take over as part of the arrangements by the security committee formed by the Ministry of Interior of the temporary National Unity Government.
