Libyan Minister of Civil Aviation and member of the emergency committee, Hisham Shkiwat, indicated today, Tuesday, that "more than a thousand bodies have been retrieved in the city of Derna, which was devastated by floods, and it is currently impossible to count the total number of casualties, but the number is extremely high," adding, "I do not exaggerate when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared." The minister described the catastrophic reality in Derna after the hurricane to Reuters: "I returned from Derna. The situation is extremely catastrophic. Bodies are lying everywhere—in the sea, in the valleys, under buildings." He continued, "I do not have a total number of the dead, but it is very large. The number of bodies retrieved in Derna has exceeded a thousand. Many buildings have collapsed."
For his part, the Libyan Minister of Health in the government appointed by the parliament, Osman Abdul Jalil, announced that 3,000 people have died due to Hurricane Daniel, with expectations that the number could rise to 10,000. In an interview with Libyan channel "Al-Masar," Abdul Jalil stated: "The number of missing persons is in the thousands, and it is expected that it could reach around 100,000 people," confirming that "the situation in the city of Derna is becoming more tragic, and there are no final statistics on the number of victims." He added, "Access to many neighborhoods has been impossible," calling for "friendly nations to assist in rescuing what remains of Derna in the mountain areas."
Prime Minister of the Libyan National Unity Government Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh highlighted today that "a plane carrying 14 tons of supplies, medicines, and body bags, and carrying 87 medical personnel and emergency responders has been sent to the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya to assist in the flood relief efforts."
The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies mission in Libya, Tamer Ramadan, stated that "it is believed that around ten thousand people are missing following the severe floods in Libya." Tamer Ramadan explained, "We can confirm from our independent sources that the number of missing persons has reached ten thousand so far."
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed today its "condolences and solidarity with Libya and its brotherly people in the victims of the floods that occurred in the city of Derna." The ministry expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased, heartfelt wishes for the survival of the missing, and for a speedy recovery for the injured.
UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the Red Crescent Authority to send urgent humanitarian aid to those affected by the floods in Libya.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated that "the death toll and the injured from the floods that swept Libya are expected to be high." Scholz said, "We expect many deaths and injuries, especially in the east. Our hearts are with all those affected and their families," noting that "Germany stands ready to provide possible assistance to Libya alongside the United Nations and other partners."
The U.S. Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland stated, "Washington will send aid in coordination with its partners in the United Nations and the Libyan authorities to assess the best ways to utilize U.S. official assistance."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed his sadness "over the images of devastation in Libya caused by extreme weather conditions, resulting in the tragic loss of many lives." Borrell wrote on his official account, saying, "The EU is closely monitoring the situation in Libya and stands ready to provide support."
The Presidential Council in Libya issued a statement declaring "Derna, Shahat, and Al Bayda in the eastern region to be disaster areas" due to the floods that have impacted them. Government spokesperson Ahmed Al-Mismari stated on Monday that "the death toll in the city of Derna alone has exceeded 2,000 and there are still thousands missing in Derna, between 5,000 and 6,000 missing, and this number is highly likely to increase significantly." He added, "The collapse of two dams south of Derna led to large amounts of floodwater flooding entire neighborhoods into the sea."
