The death toll in Libya resulting from the devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel has exceeded 11,000 people, according to the Libyan Red Crescent. An additional 20,000 individuals are feared to be missing in the aftermath of the catastrophe.
Storm Daniel struck the North African country, bringing heavy rainfall that triggered flash floods. However, the most catastrophic damage occurred when two dams along the Wadi Derna River burst, releasing a wall of water that obliterated entire coastal neighborhoods. The city of Derna, with a population of 90,000, experienced the greatest devastation.
Recent figures released by a Libyan charity underscore the extent of the disaster. The Libyan Red Crescent reported that at least 11,000 people had lost their lives, and another 2,000 were swept out to sea.
The director of the Al-Bayda Medical Center expressed concern that the death toll could potentially rise to 20,000 as thousands of individuals remain missing.
Jagan Chapagain, CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, revealed that three volunteers from the Libyan Red Crescent had lost their lives while attempting to rescue affected families.
The lack of advanced warning systems in place was cited as a factor that might have mitigated the scale of the disaster. Petteri Taalas, head of the World Meteorological Organization, stated that emergency warning services could have “minimized those losses.”
Despite the tragedy, the Speaker of the Libyan parliament asserted that the government had undertaken all possible measures to prevent such a catastrophe from occurring in the country.
