At least 1,500 dead, 10,000 missing in Libya flooding

Sept. 12 (UPI) -- More than 1,500 Libyan residents have died and more than 10,000 remain missing on Tuesday after two dams collapsed and four bridges damaged during flooding in the port city of Derna.

The Mediterranean storm Daniel struck on Sunday, hitting the eastern Libyan cities of Benghazi, Soussa and Al-Marj. Libyan aviation minister Hisham Chkiouat said the collapse of one of the dams south of Derna had dragged large parts of the city into the sea.

The Red Crescent said up to 10,000 people have been reported as missing after the flooding as much the homes in Derna continue to be underwater.

"I was shocked by what I saw, it's like a tsunami," Chkiouat said. "A massive neighborhood has been destroyed -- there is a large number of victims, which is increasing each hour. Currently,1,500 are dead. We don't have accurate figures but it's a calamity."

Tamer Ramadan, head of the Libyan delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said they are working to assist families in the five most affected cities.

"Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, but from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge," Ramadan said.

Dozens of towns and villages in the North African nation were declared a disaster zone Monday by Ossama Hamad, prime minister of the eastern Libyan government.

"The flowing water carried away entire neighborhoods, eventually depositing them into the sea," Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, told reporters, adding that between 5,000 and 6,000 people are still missing.

The "unprecedented floods occurred in the cities of Al-Bayda, Derna, Al-Marj, Tobruk, Takenis, Al-Bayada and Battah, and all the cities and villages of Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and the eastern coast, all the way to Benghazi," Mismari said.

Video published online shows an aerial view of Derna and reveals the devastation caused by the storm as buildings and land were swept away.

Another, closer view in the city shows scattered cars and buildings reduced to rubble. Phone lines and power in Derna have been knocked-out, authorities said.

"I am deeply saddened by the severe impact of Daniel on the country and have tasked an emergency response team to prepare to support local authorities and partners in the region," Georgette Gagnon, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Libya, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I call on all local, national and international partners to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to those affected at this difficult time," she added.

Last week, the same storm killed more than two dozen people in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. Storm Daniel is a tropical cyclone, which are known to impact the Mediterranean and coastal communities, much like hurricanes in the Atlantic.

On Monday, both the United Nations and the United States expressed condolences and offered to help.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement, saying "The United States expresses its sympathies and condolences to those affected by the devastating flooding in Libya. The United States is coordinating with U.N. partners and Libyan authorities on how we can assist the ongoing relief efforts."

"The United Nations in Libya is closely following the emergency caused by severe weather conditions in the eastern region of the country," the organization wrote Monday in a post on X.

"We express our heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives and our thoughts for all people affected."