The death toll in the Libyan city of Derna, eastern Libya, due to the devastating floods recorded last Sunday night due to the passage of Storm Daniel could increase to 20,000, according to the mayor of the town, Abdulmenam. al Gaizi, in the midst of the search for thousands of people missing after being swept away by the waters.
The estimate of the death toll, which represents a fifth of the city's population, is explained by seeing the dimension of the destruction. A torrent of some 33 million liters of water and mud caused by the failure of the two dams near the city swept away entire neighborhoods, with their buildings, cars, street furniture and human lives. The desolation was captured in the images captured by the satellite of the American company Maxar Technologies, which show the before and after of the catastrophe in various places in the city:
Derna has suffered the virtual destruction of 25% of the city. Al Gaizi stressed that the interruption of communications is making search and rescue tasks difficult. And international aid, which arrives in dribs and drabs.
So far, the authorities based in the east of the country have put the death toll at at least 5,200, although sources from the unity government of Libya, based in the capital, Tripoli, have raised the death toll to 6,000.
Search and rescue work continues in the city and other affected towns in eastern Libya, where around 34,000 people have been displaced by the floods, including 30,000 in Derna, according to data from the International Organization for Migration ( IOM).
Despite the urgency of this situation, the opposing authorities in the east and west of the country have not managed to coordinate a joint strategy, which some analysts describe as "chaotic management," although both separately requested humanitarian aid this Monday and declared three days of national mourning.
The country is divided into two administrations after the House of Representatives ended the mandate of the prime minister of unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibé, due to the postponement of the presidential elections in December 2021 and appointed Fazi Bashaga to the position - -later suspended from office and replaced by Osama Hamad--, a decision that was a blow to efforts to end the conflict and instability that has shaken Libya since the capture and execution of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Despite the internal division, the Government of National Unity (GNU), based in Tripoli (west) and recognized by the international community, sent a plane with 14 tons of supplies and nearly a hundred personnel to the eastern area. doctor.
