More than 6,000 people missing from Storm Daniel floods: Libyan army
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Air and sea ports remain closed as a result and curfews have been imposed in the flood-affected cities, as the cities of Susah and Derna are declared natural disaster zones.
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In this photo provided by the Libyan government, cars and rubble sit in a street in Derna, Libya, on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, after it was flooded by heavy rains (Libyan government/AP)
The spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Maj. Gen. Ahmed Al-Mismari claimed to Sputnik that five to six thousand are missing in eastern Libya as a result of the heavy floods from Storm Daniel.
Simultaneously, the Tripoli-based Presidential Council has requested international aid for the victims and those in need. In a statement, it said: "We call on friendly and brotherly countries and international organizations to provide aid and support to the affected areas".
Libyan media reported that the rains from Storm Daniel caused high water in multiple cities in eastern Libya, such as al-Bayda and Derna while air and sea ports were closed as a result and curfews have been imposed in the flood-affected cities.
The cities of Susah and Derna have been declared natural disaster zones as well.
Libyan Health Ministry spokesperson Malek Marsit also told Al Mayadeen that the death toll resulting from Storm Daniel is difficult to tell before all rescue efforts are completed.
The head of the government appointed by the eastern-based parliament, Osama Hammad, stated that the death toll arising from the floods has surpassed 2,000 people.
Eastern Libya was not the only nation hit, as Greece took in heavy downpours for several days.
Experts have characterized Storm Daniel as "extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours." The storm not only ravaged eastern Libya but also wreaked havoc in parts of Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, resulting in the loss of at least 27 lives.
