at least 150 dead in floods after torrential rains

Floods caused by torrential rains that have hit eastern Libya in recent days have killed at least 150 people, the Libyan executive told AFP on Monday (September 11th). “At least 150 people were killed due to flooding caused by Storm Daniel in Derna, Jabal Al-Akhdar areas and Al-Marj suburbs” in eastern Libya, a spokesperson said.

Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, notably the coastal towns of Jabal al-Akhdar (north-east) but also Benghazi. Described by experts as a phenomenon “extreme in terms of the amount of water that fell”, the storm called Daniel has also hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in recent days, killing at least 27 people. The storm also caused “significant material damage to infrastructure and private property”added the Libyan spokesman.

Impressive mudslides and entire neighborhoods underwater

The parallel government, appointed by Parliament and installed in eastern Libya, Derna said on Monday “disaster town”. Hundreds of residents are still stranded there in hard-to-reach areas while rescue teams, backed by the army, are trying to come to their aid. Footage shot by residents of eastern towns like Derna, al-Bayda and smaller towns shows massive mudslides and entire neighborhoods underwater, as well as collapsed roads and buildings.

The UN mission in Libya said “closely monitor the emergency situation (…) in the eastern region of the country”, expressing its solidarity with the families of the victims, in a message posted on X (ex-Twitter). The French Ambassador to Libya, Mostafa Mihraje, presented his condolences to the victims and expressed his “solidarity with the Libyan people in this ordeal”also in a post on X.