The death toll from flooding in eastern Libya, a North African country, has surpassed 5,000, local officials said.
Government officials in eastern Libya announced that the death toll was over 5,300 as of the evening of the 12th, while Reuters reported that many of the estimated 10,000 missing people appear to have been swept out to sea.
The Red Cross said at least 10,000 people were missing, and local officials said the death toll was expected to continue to rise.
Reuters news agency reported that numerous bodies were lying in the hallway of Dernasy Hospital, which suffered the most damage from the flood.
Dernaş Street was covered with rubble, mud and building debris, with numerous buildings washed away and cars parked on the street overturned or severely damaged.
The United Nations announced that an emergency response team had been dispatched to provide support, and neighboring countries such as Qatar and Turkiye also provided support to Libya.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said in a statement yesterday (12th), “I express my deepest condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones due to the devastating floods that occurred in Libya.”
President Biden said he would provide emergency funding through relief organizations and cooperate with the Libyan authorities and the United Nations to provide additional support.
Libya has been in conflict between the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east and the unity government in the west since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.
VOA News
*This article references Reuters.
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2023-09-13 12:41:36
