The Libyan government estimates that the floods killed more than 5,000 people. 10 thousand missing | National newspaper

The weekend storm left over 10 thousand missing In Libya, destroyed cities. Authorities estimate that more than 5 thousand People have died.

Natural disaster Unimaginable proportions. Storm Daniel crossed the Mediterranean after hitting Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, arriving with great force Libya.

He is the representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva 10 thousand missing. The floods destroyed a quarter of the eastern city of Derna, 900 kilometers from the capital, Tripoli. The coastal city, with a population of 125,000 people, was the most affected. He saw cars upside down and piled up.

Trees were cut down, homes abandoned and flooded. Buildings collapsed. Mud and debris are spread everywhere. The roads are cracked. Two dams collapsed and released more than 33 million cubic meters of water. Eyewitnesses spoke of waves 3 meters high.

Video clips showed a large torrent flowing through the center of the city of Derna after the collapse of the dams. A local government representative described the scene as a tsunami. More than a thousand bodies have been recovered so far in Derna alone. Another video shows dozens of bodies covered on the sidewalks.

The Minister of Civil Aviation and member of the Emergency Committee conveyed what he saw over the phone.

“Bodies are everywhere: in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings. I’m not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. The Libyan minister says: Many buildings have collapsed.

Benghazi, the second largest city in the North African country, was also flooded. Residents are searching for their relatives on social media and accuse the government of neglecting the safety of the dams, which need to be strengthened. A 2022 report denounced the dangers of disruption.

Aid begins to arrive.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reported that three planes carrying 168 people, two other search and rescue vehicles and two rescue boats had been sent. The UAE sent food and medical aid. Egypt, Germany, Iran and Qatar also promised to provide aid.

but The political situation in Libya could make rescue work and aid distribution difficult. Libya is divided between East and West. The fall of the dictator Muammar GaddafiIn 2011, he dragged the country into years of unresolved conflict.

The commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who leads the eastern part of the country and is not recognized internationally, announced the rescue and relief efforts during a television speech.

Libya is united in this tragedy. The internationally recognized Tripoli government sent medical aid to Derna and donations from businessmen. The oil-rich country was subjected to many foreign interventions and invasions. Italy was one of the countries that colonized Libya, between the first and second wars, and had already provided its own means of civil defence.