2023-09-11 17:04:21
After violent storms in Libya, the government fears thousands of deaths in the east of the country. The prime minister of one of the rival governments in the civil war country, Osama Hammad, told the Al-Massar television channel on Monday that more than two thousand deaths were to be feared. Thousands more people in the country with almost seven million inhabitants are missing. There was initially no independent information on fatalities.
A civil war broke out in Libya following the fall of long-time ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. Numerous militias are still fighting for influence in the oil-rich state. Two hostile governments, each with one seat in the east and one in the west, are currently fighting for power. All diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully have so far failed. The conflict is being further fueled by foreign states.
“Heaviest rainfall in 40 years”
The government in the capital Tripoli under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba spoke of the heaviest rains in more than 40 years.
The UN humanitarian coordinator in Libya, Georgette Gagnon, called on the international community to provide rapid assistance. Initial reports indicate that dozens of villages and towns were severely affected by the storm,” Gagnon wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Situation in Derna “out of control”
According to the emergency services, the northeast was particularly affected. According to the local council, the situation in the city of Derna was “out of control”. Two dams are said to have burst there. According to the emergency service, rescue measures were sometimes difficult. They rely on the support of helicopters. Power and internet connection are interrupted. The affected regions were declared “disaster areas”.
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