Over the weekend, Storm Daniel reached the coast of the North African nation, leading the authorities to proclaim a state of extraordinary emergency. In the preceding week, a total of twelve individuals lost their lives in Europe.
During the current rescue operations, a total of seven members of the Libyan army have been reported as missing.
A curfew has been implemented by authorities in eastern Libya, accompanied by the closure of schools and shops as per official directives.
According to Mohamed Massoud, a spokesperson for the Benghazi-based administration in Libya, a significant loss of life, amounting to a minimum of 150 individuals, occurred due to the inundation and heavy precipitation caused by storm Daniel in Derna, the Jabal al-Akhdar region, and the suburbs of Al-Marj. This information was sent to the French news agency AFP.
The eastern cities of Benghazi, Sousse, Derna, and Al-Marj have been impacted by Storm Daniel.
The floods also affected the city of Misrata in the western region.
Online, there have been circulating movies of the storm that have not been verified for accuracy. Among these videos is a clip depicting a man being swept away by torrents of floodwater. Additional video recordings depict motorists who are confined to the rooftops of their vehicles.
In addition to educational institutions and commercial establishments, the storm resulted in the closure of four significant oil ports.
Abdulhamid Dbeiba, the prime minister of the internationally recognized government in the capital city of Tripoli, expressed his directive to all state agencies to promptly address the consequences of the damage and floods. Concurrently, the United Nations in Libya affirmed its close monitoring of the storm and commitment to delivering urgent relief assistance to bolster response endeavors at both local and national scales.
Since the demise of the longstanding leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has experienced a division into two competing governments, a situation that has persisted since 2014.
During the previous week, a severe weather event known as Storm Daniel impacted the countries of Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life for over twelve individuals.
The arrival of the weather system in western Egypt is anticipated on Monday.
Climate scientists have issued a warning indicating that the phenomenon of global warming is expected to result in an increased rate of water evaporation throughout the summer season, consequently giving rise to a heightened occurrence of severe storms.