The floods in Libya have caused an “enormous” number of deaths which could number in the thousands and 10,000 missing, an official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday.
The results remain uncertain, said Tamer Ramadan, during the regular UN press briefing in Geneva. “We do not have final figures” on the number of deaths at the moment, he said, stressing that “the number of missing is close to 10,000”.
He hopes for more precise information later today on the results.
“The humanitarian needs far exceed the capacities of the Libyan Red Crescent and even the capacities of the government,” explained Mr. Ramadan, who spoke live from Tunis.
“This is why the government in the east has launched an appeal for international aid and we too will soon launch an emergency appeal,” insisted Mr. Ramadan.
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, notably the coastal towns of Jabal al-Akhdar, but also Benghazi where a curfew was declared and schools were closed.
Described by experts as an “extreme” phenomenon in terms of the quantity of water that fell, Storm Daniel has already caused at least 27 deaths in recent days in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Eastern Libya is home to the main oil fields and terminals. The National Oil Company (NOC) has declared a “state of maximum alert” and “suspended flights” between production sites where activity has been drastically reduced.
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