Global aid effort mobilized for flood-stricken Libya

Flooding death toll in eastern Libya, which was ravaged by the storm Daniel, has surpassed 10,000, with forecasts suggesting that the number could rise as high as 20,000.

According to Qatar's state-owned Al Jazeera network on Thursday, the official death toll reported by Libyan authorities thus far stands at over 10,000. However, Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi, the mayor of Derna, the hardest-hit city in eastern Libya, revealed in an interview with Saudi Arabian state-owned Al Arabiya that "the death toll could reach between 18,000 to a maximum of 20,000 in the coming days." This dire prediction is based on the estimation that over 10,000 missing individuals may have been swept away by floodwaters or trapped beneath collapsed structures. With a population of approximately 125,000, this means that one in six residents of Derna may have tragically lost their lives.

Countries from around the world are mobilizing rescue efforts at full speed. Mayor Al-Ghaithi confirmed the arrival of rescue teams from Egypt, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and Qatar to the disaster-stricken area. The United Nations has pledged $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for relief efforts, while the United Kingdom and Spain have each announced emergency aid packages worth £1 million (approximately 1.6 billion and 50 million won) and €1 million (approximately 1.4 billion and 24 million won), respectively.

However, rescue teams on the ground are currently prioritizing the recovery of bodies over survivor rescues. This approach is due to the widespread presence of bodies, which increases the risk of contagious waterborne diseases and poses a significant threat of secondary damage to survivors. To mitigate this, mass burials of hundreds of bodies have been carried out at various sites, and two hospitals are reportedly being used as makeshift morgues due to the overwhelming number of bodies.


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