‘Medicane’ Breaks Dams, Floods Eastern Libya: Up to 10,000 Feared Dead
A rare “medicane” or Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone battered Libya on Saturday, causing deadly floods in the eastern part of the country and resulting in the death of at least 2,000 people. Some estimates already suggest the death toll could jump to 10,000.
CNN quoted Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation in Libya, who stated, “Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, but from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge.”
The devastating Medicane that hit #Libya deadly flooding, can be seen in Met-11 imagery as it made landfall, via Jochen Kerkmann #LibyaFloods pic.twitter.com/VLXFcBbd3j
— EUMETSAT Users (@eumetsat_users) September 12, 2023
The city of Derna was the most affected when two dams collapsed, flooding parts of the town.
🌊Devastating #floods have left more than 2,000 people ☠dead and thousands missing in 🇱🇾 #Libya after torrential 🌨#rain. The situation in Derna is catastrophic. Part of the city has been 💥wiped off the map. (Libyan press agency) #extremeweather #climate #nature #destruction pic.twitter.com/oTjgofkySg
— Genesis Watchman Report (@ReportWatchman) September 12, 2023
Othman Abduljalil, health minister in Libya’s eastern administration, told Libya’s Almasar TV that the damage in the city is “catastrophic.”
🔴 Flash floods in eastern #Libya killed more than 2,300 people in the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna alone, the emergency services of the #Tripoli-based government said on Tuesday. @GavinLeeNews has the latest 👇 pic.twitter.com/KcoqJe9zLB
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) September 12, 2023
Abduljalil said, “The bodies are still lying on the ground in many parts. Hospitals are filled with bodies. And there are areas we have yet to reach.”
Ramadan told a video news conference Tuesday that the death toll will jump:
The devastation is as far as the eye can reach. #Derna desperately needs international assistance! Estimates are rising into the thousands of dead. #Libya pic.twitter.com/OgPrTXVmqv
— Anas El Gomati (@AGomati) September 12, 2023
“We confirmed from our independent sources of information the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons, so far.”
Last week, the storm brought catastrophic flooding to Greece before developing into a medicane.
